Skip to main content

Full text of "The life of Nathanael Greene"

See other formats 


Tli       LIFE 


OF 


N  VNAEL 


iENEBA^ 


"  \fter  this  manner  soid  they,"  who  h^  «een  hir 
nor  saw  1 


THE  LIFE 


OF 


NATHANAEL    GREENE 

Major-General  in  the  Army  of  the  Revolution. 


BY 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON   GREENE, 

AUTHOR   OF    "historical   VIEW   OF   THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION.' 


'li;  <}>a.(Tav,  ot  ixiv  ISovTo  novevfievov  '  ov  yap  eyiuye 
'HtTTjo''  ovSi  ISov  •  Trepi  &'  dAAwv  <f>0UTl  yevicrBai. 

Iliad  iv.  374. 

"After  this  manner  said  they,  who  had  seen  him  toiling ;  but  I  ne'er 
Met  him  myself,  nor  saw  him  :  men  say  he  was  greater  than  others." 


IN    THREE    VOLUMES. 
VOL.   I. 


NEW    YORK: 

G.     P.     PUTNAM     AND    SON, 

1867. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1867,  by 

ANXA   M.   GREENE, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  New  York. 


University  Press  :  Welch,  Bigelow,  &  Co., 

CA.MDRIDGE. 


TO 


HENRY  WADSWORTH  LONGFELLOW. 

My  dear  Longfellow, 

Thirty-nine  years  ago  this  month  of  April, 
you  and  I  were  together  at  Naples,  wandering 
np  and  down  amid  the  wonders  of  that  histor- 
ical city,  and,  consciously  in  some  things  and  un- 
consciously in  others,  laying  up  those  precious 
associations  which  are  youth's  best  preparation 
for  age.  We  were  young  then,  with  life  all  be- 
fore us  ;  and,  in  the  midst  of  the  records  of  a 
great  past,  our  thoughts  would  still  turn  to  our 
own  future.  Yet,  even  in  looking  forward,  they 
caught  the  coloring  of  that  past,  making  things 
bright  to  our  eyes,  which,  from  a  purely  American 
point  of  view,  would  have  worn  a  different  aspect. 
From  then  till  now  the  spell  of  those  days  has 
been  upon  us. 

One  day  —  I  shall  never  forget  it — we  returned 


IV  DEDICATION. 

at  sunset  from  a  long  afternoon  amid  the  statues 
and  relics  of  the  Museo  Borbonico,  Evening  was 
coming  on  with  a  sweet  promise  of  the  stars ; 
and  our  minds  and  hearts  were  so  full  that  we 
could  not  think  of  shutting  ourselves  up  in  our 
rooms,  or  of  mingling  with  the  crowd  on  the 
Toledo.  We  wanted  to  be  alone,  and  yet  to 
feel  that  there  was  life  all  around  us.  We  went 
up  to  the  flat  roof  of  the  house,  where,  as  we 
walked,  we  could  look  down  into  the  crowded 
street,  and  out  upon  the  wonderful  bay,  and 
across  the  bay  to  Ischia  and  Capri  and  Sorrento, 
and  over  the  house-tops  and  villas  and  vineyards 
to  Vesuvius.  The  ominous  pillar  of  smoke  hung 
suspended  above  the  fatal  mountain,  reminding 
us  of  Pliny,  its  first  and  noblest  victim.  A  golden 
vapor  crowned  the  bold  joromontory  of  Sorrento, 
and  we  thought  of  Tasso.  Capri  was  calmly  sleep- 
ing, like  a  sea-bird  upon  the  waters ;  and  we 
seemed  to  hear  the  voice  of  Tacitus  from  across 
the  gulf  of  eighteen  centuries,  telling  us  that  the 
historian's  pen  is  still  powerful  to  absolve  or  to 
condemn  long  after  the  imperial  sceptre  has  fallen 
from  the  withered  hand.  There,  too,  lay  the  na- 
tive island  of  him  whose  daring  mind  conceived 
the  fearful  vengeance  of  the  Sicilian  Vespers. 
We  did  not  yet  know  Niccolini ;    but  his    grand 


DEDICATION.  V 

verses  had  already  begun  their  work  of  regen- 
eration in  the  Italian  heart.  Virgil's  tomb  was 
not  far  off.  The  spot  consecrated  by  Sannaz- 
zaro's  ashes  was  near  us.  And  over  all,  with  a 
thrill  like  that  of  solemn  music,  fell  the  splen- 
dor of  the  Italian  sunset. 

We  talked  and  mused  by  turns,  till  the  twilight 
deepened  and  the  stars  came  forth  to  mingle 
their  mysterious  influences  with  the  overmaster- 
ing magic  of  the  scene.  It  was  then  that  you 
unfolded  to  me  your  plans  of  life,  and  showed 
me  from  w^hat  "  deep  cisterns "  you  had  already 
learned  to  draw.  From  that  day  the  office  of 
literature  took  a  new  place  in  my  thoughts.  I 
felt  its  forming  power  as  I  had  never  felt  it 
before,  and  began  to  look  with  a  calm  resigna- 
tion upon  its  trials,  and  with  true  appreciation 
upon  its  rewards.  Thenceforth,  little  as  I  have 
done  of  what  I  wished  to  do,  literature  has  been 
the  inspiration,  the  guide,  and  the  comfort  of  my 
life.  And  now,  in  giving  to  the  world  the  first, 
perhaps  the  only,  work  for  which  I  dare  hope  a 
life  beyond  my  own,  the  memory  of  those  days 
comes  back  to  me,  and  tells  me  that,  loving  me 
still  in  the  fulness  of  your  fame  as  you  loved 
me  in  the  hour  of  aspiration,  you  will  not  be 
unwilling  to    see   your   name    united   with   mine 


VI  DEDICATION. 

upon  these  pages,  which  but  for  your  counsel 
and  your  sympathy  would  never  have  been 
written. 

Ever,  my  dear  Longfellow, 

Faithfully  and  affectionately  yours, 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  GREENE. 

East  Greenwich,  R.  I.,  April  3,  1867. 


PKEFACE 


1"^HE  intention  of  -writing  this  work  was  formed  in 
-  early  youth,  and  has  been  kept  constantly  in  view 
through  the  checkered  fortunes  of  maturer  years.  The 
plan  has  often  changed  under  the  influence  of  a  wider 
study  of  books,  and  a  more  extensive  observation  of  men. 
The  purpose  has  never  lost  the  hold  which  it  first  took 
upon  my  youthful  imagination. 

I  was  born  and  grew  up  in  the  midst  of  men  and  women 
who  had  known  my  grandfather  as  a  public  and  a  private 
man,  and  seen  him  in  all  the  various  relations  of  life.  In 
my  seventeenth  year  I  became  the  inmate  of  the  house  of 
one  of  his  dearest  friends.  General  Lafayette.  Among  all 
who  had  known  him  I  found  but  one  opinion  both  of  his 
greatness  and  his  goodness,  of  the  vigor  and  depth  of  his 
mind,  of  the  warmth  and  purity  of  his  heart. 

In  1846  I  wrote,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Sparks,  the  Life 
which  forms  the  tenth  volume  of  the  second  series  of  his 
American  Biography.  I  wrote  it  at  Rome,  from  the  com- 
mon printed  authorities,  and,  as  I  expressly  stated,  not  as 
the  result  of  my  studies,  but  as  an  earnest  of  what  I  some 
day  hoped  to  do  with  Greene's  letters  before  me.  On  my 
return  to  the  United  States  I  received  from  my  cousin, 
Phineas  Miller  Nightingale  (second  son  of  General  Greene's 
eldest  daughter,  Martha  Washington)  the  family  papers 
which  had  passed  into  his  hands,  and  began  a  careful  study 


VIU  PREFACE. 

of  mj  subject  in  these  authentic  documents.  Every  page 
that  I  read  confirmed  my  original  opinion,  and  strength- 
ened my  first  intention.  I  resolved  that  nothing  should 
prevent  me  from  telling  the  full  story  of  my  grandfather's 
life,  and  claiming  for  him  the  gratitude  Avhich  is  his  due 
from  all  generations  of  his  countrymen. 

The  life  of  General  Greene  falls  by  a  natural  diA-ision 
into  two  parts ;  the  first  of  which  is  strictly  biographical, 
the  second  historical.  In  the  first,  his  position  is  that  of 
a  subordinate  officer,  who,  whatever  influence  he  may 
exert,  is  never  the  acknowledged  source  of  controlling 
movements.  Events  do  not  revolve  around  him  as  their 
common  centre.  His  actions  are  parts  of  the  actions  of 
other  men.  However  just  his  views,  he  cannot  enforce 
them  without  the  consent  of  an  official  superior.  How- 
ever well  done  all  that  he  does  may  be,  the  narrative  of 
it,  if  confined  to  that  alone,  would  leave  half  of  the  story 
untold.  Such  was  Greene's  public  hfe,  from  1775  to  his 
appointment  to  the  command  of  the  Southern  army  in 
October,  1780. 

From  that  moment  his  life  becomes  history,  —  the  history 
of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia.  Military  movements  origi- 
nate with  him.  The  restoration  of  ci%nl  government  de- 
pends upon  the  success  of  his  arms.  The  resources  of 
the  country  are  draAvn  forth  and  administered  by  his  will. 
If  you  would  understand  events,  you  must  seek  the  expla- 
nation of  them  in  his  letters  and  reports.  Battles  and 
sieges  and  marches  are  parts  of  the  general  plan  which  he 
conceived,  and  dependent  for  their  historical  importance 
upon  the  measure  in  which  they  contributed  to  the  ac- 
complishment of  that  plan.     This  fundamental  difference 


PREFACE.  IX 

of  character  requires  a  corresponding  difference  of  treat- 
ment. 

Therefore,  in  the  first  part  of  this  work  Greene's 
thoughts  and  feehngs,  the  growth  of  his  mind  and  the  for- 
mation of  his  character,  compose  the  picture.  The  war  is 
the  frame  in  which  it  is  set.  Of  him  I  have  told  all  that  I 
could  learn ;  of  the  war,  only  so  much  as  was  necessary  in 
order  to  understand  the  part  which  he  took  therein.  Of  the 
story  of  these  five  years  Washington  is  the  representative 
hero.  The  other  generals  are  grouped  around  him  in 
due  subordination.  First  and  nearest  to  him  of  all  stands 
Greene,  with  Washington's  "great  arm  leaning  upon  him." 
No  one  will  read  these  volumes  of  mine  who  has  not  already 
made  himself  familiar  with  the  general  history  of  the  war, 
either  in  the  careful  pages  of  Sparks  or  the  charming  narra- 
tive of  Irving.  No  American  can  feel  that  he  has  done 
his  duty  to  himself  or  his  country  who  has  not  read  both. 

In  my  first  two  volumes  I  have  drawn  freely  from 
General  Greene's  correspondence,  inserting  many  letters 
entire,  and  giving  copious  extracts  from  others.  But 
while  I  have  still  made  this  correspondence  the  basis  of 
my  third  volume  also,  I  have  used  it  rather  as  the  mate- 
rial from  which  my  narrative  was  to  be  woven  than  as  a 
narrative  in  itself.  The  psychological  study  was  already 
complete.  The  character  of  the  General  was  already 
formed  before  he  took  the  command  of  the  Southern 
army,  as  the  character  of  the  man  was  formed  before  he 
took  command  of  the  Rhode  Island  army  of  observation. 
From  what  he  had  already  done  it  was  easy  to  conjecture 
what  he  would  do.  Every  report  of  a  new  step  in  the 
reconquest  of  the  South  came  to  Washington  not  merely 


X  PREFACE. 

as  welcome  tidings,  but  as  a  fulfilment  of  expectations.  "  I 
think  I  am  sending  you  a  general,"  he  had  written,  when 
he  aimounced  Greene's  appointment  to  a  Southern  cor- 
respondent. "  This  brilliant  manoeuvre  is  another  proof 
of  the  singular  abilities  which  that  officer  possesses,"  he 
wrote,  when  the  "  report  of  the  judicious  and  successful 
movement  of  General  Greene,  by  which  he  compelled 
the  enemy  to  abandon  their  outposts,"*  reached  him. 
Therefore,  while  Greene  is  kept  almost  exclusively  in 
view  througli  the  first  two  volumes,  in  the"  third  other 
characters  are  brought  prominently  forward,  who  hold 
somewhat  of  the  same  relation  to  him  which  he  held  to 
Washington.  The  canvas  is  more  crowded,  and  he,  in 
turn,  becomes  the  central  figure  of  a  noble  group. 

I  trust  that  I  shall  not  be  suspected  of  indulging  a 
puerile  vanity,  if  I  claim  for  Greene's  family  a  different 
position  from  that  which  lias  been  assigned  them  by  pre- 
vious historians.  To  my  conception  of  personal  dignity, 
it  is  a  matter  of  absolute  indifference  whether  General 
Greene's  ancestors  were  men  of  fortune  or  day-laborers ; 
whether  his  father  aided  the  work  of  his  brain  by  the 
work  of  his  hands,  or  passed  his  life  in  guiding  and  con- 
trolling the  work  of  other  men.  But,  as  a  Iiistorical  fact, 
I  have  thought  it  my  duty  to  say,  that,  from  the  first  emi- 
grant downward,  the  Greenes  filled  prominent  and  im- 
portant positions  in  public  life ;  that  the  branch  from 
which  the  General  sprang  was  early  engaged  in  manufac- 
tures and  farming,  upon  a  scale  which  implies  the  com- 
mand of  wliat  must,  in  those  days,  have  been  a  large 
capital ;  and  that  the  General's  father  devoted  the  chief 
*  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  241. 


PREFACE.  XI 

of  his  time  to  the  utilization  of  that  capital.     In  colonial 
life  there  is  no  room  for  idle  men  or  women,  and  habits 
of   industry    and    thrift    were    laid    deep   in    the   founda- 
tions of  the  Colony  of  Rhode  Island.     It  was  no  espe- 
cial  merit  of  the  Greenes   that  their  industry  had  been 
fruitful,  but  it  would  have  deprived  them  of  all  claim  to 
the  respect  of  their  contemporaries,  if,  while  all  around 
them  labored,   they  alone  had  been  idle.     In  a  country 
so  full  of  life  and  future  as  ours,  where  the  merit  of  the 
father  is  a  pledge  instead  of  an  inheritance,  and  events 
and  actors  follow  each  other  with   such  rapidity  that  the 
link  between   the  present  and  the   past  seems   constantly 
to  be  slipping  from  our  grasp,  family  pride  has  but  a  thin 
and   barren    soil   to   grow  in.      But  while    blood   carries 
with  it  no  privilege,  and  to  be  the  grandson  of  a  great 
man  conveys  no  share  in  his  greatness,  there   are  obliga- 
tions independent  of  privilege,  and  a  duty  to  country  and 
to  the  truth   of  history,  obedience  to  which  is  often  mis- 
taken by  the  thoughtless  for  vanity  or  pride.     Here  and 
elsewhere  I  claim  for  General  Greene  the  place  which 
his  contemporaries  gave   him.     I   claim  it  upon  the   au- 
thority of  his  written  words,  and  of  his  acts  as  recorded 
by  those  who  saw  and  shared  in  them.      The  nature  of 
historical  evidence  must  change  before  his  position  can  be 
changed. 

In  using  the  manuscript  letters  from  which  so  large  a 
part  of  my  work  is  drawn,  I  have  not  allowed  myself  to 
make  any  alterations  either  in  grammar  or  phraseology. 
General  Greene  habitually  uses  "  is  "  for  "  are,"  and  occa- 
sionally makes  other  mistakes,  which  a  stroke  of  the  pen 
would  correct.    I  have  not  felt  at  liberty  to  attribute  to  him 


XU  PREFACE. 

a  grammatical  accuracy  which  lie  did  not  possess,  or  to  give 
to  his  letters  the  false  coloring  of  strict  propriety  of  con- 
struction. His  language  is  generally  good,  his  sentences 
clear,  his  expression  forcible.  But  the  habits  of  early  life 
were  too  stronfj  in  minor  details  for  the  associations  of  later 
life ;  and,  admirable  as  his  letters  are  in  the  higher  qual- 
ities of  composition,  —  thought  distinctly,  precisely,  and 
vigorously  expressed,  —  they  still  betray  the  deficiencies 
of  his  education.  In  the  orthography,  though  generally 
correct,  I  have  not  hesitated  to  follow  the  modern  stand- 
ard. 

Besides  the  papers  of  General  Greene,  which  of  them- 
selves form  a  collection  of  over  six  thousand  documents, 
I  have  made  free  use  of  the  Washington  papers  in  the 
Department  of  State  at  Washington  ;  of  the  Gates  and 
Steuben  papers  in  the  library  of  the  Historical  Society  of 
New  York ;  of  the  Heath  papers  in  the  library  of  the 
Historical  Society  of  Massachusetts ;  of  some  very  impor- 
tant papers  in  the  library  of  the  Philosophical  Society  of 
Pennsylvania ;  and  have  had  copies  from  the  Sullivan, 
Reed,  Lincoln,  Pickering,  Glover,  Varnum,  and  Wadsworth 
papers,  through  the  courtesy  of  their  owners.  Among  the 
printed  authorities,  I  have  placed  great  confidence  in  Gor- 
don, whose  letters  to  the  principal  actors  in  the  war  show 
how  carefully  he  performed  the  historian's  first  duty,  —  the 
search  of  truth.  Of  the  American  Archives  it  is  needless 
to  speak,  except  to  express  the  regret  which  not  only  every 
student  of  American  history,  but  every  American  honora- 
bly jealous  for  the  good  name  of  his  country,  must  feel 
that  the  hands  of  such  a  man  as  Peter  Force  should  have 
been  arbitrarily  stayed  in  a  work  worthy  of  the  industry 


PREFACE.  XI 11 

of  a  Muratori,  and  the  critical  acumen  of  a  Gibbon.  Mr. 
Sparks's  "Washington,"  and  "Correspondence  of  the  Rev- 
ohition,"  I  have  used  with  constantly  increasing  respect  for 
the  good  sense  and  conscientious  love  of  truth  whic'li  were 
leading  characteristics  of  that  excellent  man.  I  have  also, 
among  modem  authorities,  consulted  with  great  advantage 
"  The  Battles  of  the  United  States,  by  H.  B.  Dawson," 
whose  habits  of  minute  reference  cannot  be  too  highly 
commended. 

The  public  acknowledgment  of  the  kind  offices  upon 
which  works  like  this  are  so  largely  dependent  is  one  of  the 
pleasantest  duties  of  the  historian.  My  thanks  are  espe- 
cially due  to  my  cousin,  Phineas  Miller  Nightingale,  of  Cum- 
berland Island,  Georgia,  for  efficient  aid  in  the  collection  of 
materials;  to  my  lifelong  fiiend,  William  H.  Richards  of 
New  York,  for  assistance  in  the  laborious  task  of  arranging 
them  ;  and  to  my  cousin,  Lieutenant-Governor  William 
Greene,  of  Warwick,  R.  I.,  for  important  papers,  and  still 
more  important  counsel.  During  my  visits  to  Washington 
I  was  allowed  by  my  venerable  friend,  Peter  Force,  free 
access  to  his  library,  the  most  valuable  in  existence  in  this 
department  of  study  ;  and  what  no  library  could  have  af- 
forded,—  a  free  communication  of  the  treasures  of  tradi- 
tion and  anecdote  with  which  he  had  stored  his  memory 
in  the  course  of  a  life  devoted  to  the  illustration  of  Amer- 
ican history.  I  have  already  spoken  of  what  I  owe  to  the 
publications  of  Mr.  Sparks.  I  owe  still  more  to  the  deep 
interest  which  he  took  in  my  labors,  —  an  interest  begin- 
ning when  they  began,  and  ending  only  with  his  life. 

To  George  H.  Moore,  Friedrich  Kapp,  William  B.  Reed, 
Charles  F.  Adams,  Henry  B.  Dawson,  Thomas  C.  Am- 


XIV  PREFACE. 

ory,  George  Brinley,  Benjamin  Lincoln,  Charles  Deane, 
Richard  R.  Ward,  Peyton  Skipwyth,  Robert  H.  Ives, 
John  S.  Littell,  Octavius  Pickering,  Henry  E.  Turner, 
James  H.  Eldredge,  Daniel  H.  Greene,  Townsend  Ward, 
and  the  family  of  the  late  Thomas  Biddle  of  Philadelphia,  I 
am  under  great  obligations,  —  to  some  of  them  for  copies 
of  documents,  to  some  for  the  loan  of  books,  and  to  some 
for  aid  in  the  investigation  of  particular  questions.  A  part 
of  my  long  labors  was  cheered  by  the  active  sympathy 
of  my  kinsman,  Samuel  Ward  Greene.  Nor  can  I  ever 
forget  the  assistance  given  me  by  my  friends,  Charles 
Sumner,  Charles  Butler,  and  James  S.  Thayer  m  my  en- 
deavors to  obtain  the  aid  of  Congress  for  the  publication 
of  General  Greene's  correspondence,  —  an  assistance  none 
the  less  prized  for  the  failure  of  the  object  for  which  it 
was  given.  To  each  and  all  of  these  gentlemen  I  would 
tender  my  sincere  thanks.  Alas  that  those  thanks  can 
no  longer  reach  the  ear  of  another  friend,  —  George  Sum- 
ner, —  whose  wise  counsels  and  affectionate  zeal  cheered 
and  strengthened  the  first  years  of  my  labors,  but  whom 
death  has  not  permitted  to  see  their  close. 

It  is  not  without  many  doubts  and  misgivings  that  I  part 
from  these  companions  of  laborious  years.  It  is  impossible 
to  write  words  so  akin  to  farewell  and  not  feel  a  sadness 
steal  over  you,  like  the  sadness  of  him  who  pauses  upon 
the  threshold  and  looks  behind  him  through  eves  dimmed 
by  tears,  before  he  turns  his  face  from  the  familiar  home- 
stead forever.  In  sickness  and  in  health,  in  joy  and  in 
sorrow,  in  my  native  land,  with  its  present  crowding  re- 
lentlessly upon  the  past ;  under  foreign  skies,  where  the 
past  still  controls  and  gives  its  own  coloring  to  the  pres- 


PREFACE.  XV 

ent,  —  I  have  ever  cherished  the  hope  of  telhng  this  story 
of  the  life  of  an  American  of  the  heroic  age  of  American 
history.  And,  now  that  my  task  is  done  and  these  pages 
pass  from  under  my  control,  stronger  than  every  personal 
feeling  is  the  fear  that,  through  some  error  or  shortcoming 
of  my  own,  I  may  have  failed  to  do  justice  to  a  great  and 
good  man,  and  incurred  thereby  the  guilt  of  dimming  one 
of  the  brightest  pages  of  the  annals  of  my  country.  If  I 
have  failed,  it  has  not  been  from  want  of  industry  to  search 
for  the  truth,  nor  of  courage  to  tell  it.  As  my  documents 
have  dictated,  so  have  I  written.  My  errors  —  and  in 
every  history  there  will  be  errors  —  are  the  offspring  of  in- 
voluntary ignorance  or  unconscious  misconstruction.  Who- 
ever will  point  them  out  to  me  will  do  me  an  office  of 
friendship  which  I  shall  be  the  first  to  acknowledge,  and 
the  last  to  forget. 

G.  W.  G. 

East  Greenwich,  R.  I.,  October  21,  1867. 


CONTENTS. 


BOOK    FIRST. 

FROM    HIS    BIRTH    TO    HIS    APPOINTMENT    AS    COMMANDER    OF 
THE    RHODE    ISLAND    ARMY    OF    OBSERVATION. 

1742-1775. 

CHAPTER   I. 

PAGE 

Potowomut. — John  Greene.  —  Birth  of  Nathanael  Greene. — 
The  Quaker  Preacher  and  his  Family.  —  Habits  and  Customs 
of  the  Times.  —  Anecdotes  of  Nathanael  Greene.  —  Quaker 
Views  of  Literature.  —  Nathanael's  First  Studies.  —  Giles  and 
the  Holiday  Walk.  —  East  Greenwich.  —  Master  Maxwell.  — 
New  Studies.  —  The  Winter-Evening  Fireside. — The  Eight 
Sons.  —  Colonial  Traditions.  —  Pocket  Money.  —  The  Sail  to 
Newport.  —  Buying  Books.  —  Dr.  Stiles.  .         .  '      .         .         .3 

•    CHAPTER    II. 

Greene's  Studies.  —  New  Acquaintances.  —  Lindley  Murray.  — 
Visit  to  New  York.  —  John  Jay.  —  Inoculation.  —  Family 
Lawsuit.  —  Greene  reads  Law  Books.  —  Growth  of  Mind.  — 
Personal  Appearance.  —  Manners  and  Habits 21 

CHAPTER    III. 

Potowomut.  —  The  Farm.  —  The  Forge  and  Mills.  —  Coventry. 

—  Whence  the  Iron  for  the  Forge  came. —  From  Potowomut 
to  Coventry.  —  The  New  House.  —  Greene  among  his  Neigh- 
bors. —  David  Howell 29 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Death  of  Greene's  Father.  — Greene  a  Voter.  —  First  Steps  in 
Public  Life.  —  First  Political  Letter.  —  In  the  Assembly.  — 
Gasper.  —  Takes  his  Stand.  —  William    Greene   of  Warwick. 

—  Henry  Marchant.  —  Progress  of  the  Revolution.  —  Greene's 

b 


XVlll  CONTENTS. 

Opinion  of  Governor  AVard  as  Delegate  to  Congress. — Militia 
Laws  Revised.  —  Kentish  Guards.  —  James  M.  Varnum. — 
Christopher  Greene.  —  Letter  to  Varnum.  —  Trip  to  Boston 
to  buy  a  Musket 39 

CHAPTER    V. 

Inner  Life.  —  Mental  Culture.  —  How  and  what  he  studied.  — 
His  Library.  —  Study  of  Composition.  —  Letters  to  S.  Ward, 
Jr.  —  Quaker  Prejudices  against  Literature. —  Glimpses  of  his 
Daily  Life  and  Habits.  —  Forge  burned.  —  A  Lottery.  —  Let- 
ter to  William  Greene.  —  Asthma.  —  In  Love.  —  Why  he 
loved  S.  Ward.  —  S.  Ward's  Sister.  —  Progress  of  the  Dis- 
pute with  England.  —  Greene  resolves  to  take  up  Arms.  — 
Read  out  of  the  Meeting.  —  Threatened  Accusation.  —  Military 
Reading.  —  Rhode  Island  College.  —  Courtship  and  Marriage. 
—  Domestic  Life.  —  Rapid  Development  of  Public  Opinion.  — 
Tea  burued  in  Market  Scjuare,  Providence.  —  Battle  of  Lex- 
ington. —  i\Iai'ch  of  Kentish  Guards.  —  Assembly  meets.  — 
Army  of  Observation.  —  Mission  to  Connecticut.  —  Greene 
chosen  Brigadier-General.  —  Commission.  —  Farewell  Letter 
to  his  Wife 52 


BOOK    SECOND. 

FROM  niS  APPOINTMENT  TO  THE  COMMAND  OF  THE  RHODE 
ISLAND  ARMY  OF  OBSERVATION  TO  HIS  APPOINTMENT  AS 
QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL. 

1775-1778. 

CHAPTER   I. 

New  Phase  in  Greene's  Life.  —  Condition  of  Rhode  Island  Camp. 
—  Effects  of  his  Presence.  —  Council  of  War  at  Cambridge.  — 
Ward's  Head-quarters.  —  Colonial  Troops  independent  of 
each  other.  —  Greene  devotes  himself  to  disciplining  his  Bri- 
gade. —  Difficulties  of  the  Task.  —  Drunkenness.  —  Punish- 
ments. —  Hard  Work.  —  Treated  with  "  Great  Respect "  by 
the  General  Officers.  —  Bunker  Hill.  —  Active  Sie"-e.  —  Dis- 
honest  Agents.  —  Arrival  of  Washington.  —  Charles  Lee. — 
Greene  sends  an  Address  to  Washington.  —  His  Satisfaction 
at  Wa.'ihington's  Appointment. 87 


CONTENTS.  XIX 

CHAPTER    II. 

Washington's  Arrival  tlie  Besi;innin<j  of  a  New  Period.  —  His 
Staff.  —  Mifflin.  —Trumbull.  —  Reed.  —  Gates.  —  Army  of  the 
United  Colonies.  —  New  Organization.  —  Three  Grand  Divis- 
ions. —  Greene  on  Prospect  Hill.  —  Gradual  Extension  of  the 
Works.  —  Death  of  Adjutant  Mumford.  —  All  Eyes  fixed  on 
Boston.  —  Parties  to  Camp.  —  The  Country  calls  for  a  Bat- 
tle. —  Want  of  Powder.  —  Waste  of  Powder.  —  Preparations 
for  Defence.  —  Extracts  from  General  Orders.        .         .        .102 


CHAPTER    III. 

Term  of  Service  of  the  Army  most  out.  —  Congress  sends  a  Com- 
mittee to  Camp.  —  Greene's  Impressions  of  Franklin.  —  His 
first  Intercourse  with  Southern  Members  of  Congi-ess.  —  His 
Efibrts  to  do  away  with  Sectional  Jealousies.  —  Lord  Sheffield. 

—  Church's  Treason.  —  Gradual  Growth  of  a  Desire  for  Inde- 
pendence. —  Extracts  fi-om  Greene's  Letters  to  Governor 
AVard.  —  His  Idea  of  the  Duty  of  Congress.  —  An  Army  of 
Seventy  Thousand  Men.  —  Feelings  of  the  People.  .         .116 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Greene's  Life,  Habits,  and  Associates  in  Camp.  —  Letter  to  his 
AVife.  —  Christopher  Greene  and  Samuel  Ward  join  the 
Canada  Expedition.  —  Interest  awakened  by  it.  —  Anxiety 
caused  by  the  Burning  of  Falmouth.  —  By  the  Progress  of 
Enlistment.  —  Extracts  from  Letters.  —  Ojjinion  on  giving 
Bounties.  —  Mistake  of  Congress.  —  Old  Troops  go.  —  New 
Troops   come.  —  Arms   retained.  —  New  Year.  —  The  Flag. 

—  Scanty   Supplies.  —  Small-Pox.  —  Mrs.   Greene    in   Camp. 

—  Siege  draws  to  a  Close.  —  Dorchester  Heights   occupied. 

—  Preparations  for  an  Attack.  —  Storm.  —  Evacuation  of 
Boston 130 


CHAPTER    V. 

Perplexing  Conduct  of  the  Enemy.  —  Fortifications  of  Bos- 
ton. —  Greene  in  Command  of  the  City.  —  Letter  to  Colonel 
Nightingale.  —  Thursday  Lecture.  —  Marching  Orders.  — 
Alarm  in  Rhode  Island.  —  March  to  New  York.  —  Prepara- 
tions for  Defending  the  City.  —  Greene  appointed  to  com- 
mand Fourth  Brigade.  —  Command  on  Long  Island.  —  For- 


XX  CONTENTS. 

tifications.  —  Alarm  Signals.  —  Tories.  —  John  Jay.  —  Gou- 
verneur  Morris.  —  Reconnoitring  with  Knox.  —  Forts  Wash- 
ington and  Independence.  —  Brigade  and  Regimental  Re- 
ports         ,        .     149 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Death  of  Governor  Ward.  —  Correspondence  with  John  Adams. 

—  Tone  and  Character  of  it.  —  The  new  Army.  —  DifBculties 
in  Raising  and  Organizing  it.  —  Provisions  for  the  Disabled. 

—  Condition  of  the  Officers.  —  Principles  of  Promotion.  — 
Insufficient  Pay  of  Soldiers  and  Officers.  —  Exaggerated 
Ideas  of  the  Strength  of  the  Army.  —  Rhode  Island  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.  —  Letters  to  Washington.  —  Alexander 
Hamilton.  —  Mrs.  Greene  at  Camp 1 70 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Enemy's  Ships  begin  to  arrive  at  the  Hook.  —  Constant  Watch- 
ing.—  Alarms  in  the  Country.  —  Tories.  —  Threatened  Duel 
in  Greene's  Division.  —  English  Fleet  at  the  Narrows.  —  Ar- 
rival of  the  Hessians. —  Hitchcock's  Regiment. —  Militia. — 
First  Marching  Orders. —  Removal  of  Cattle  and  Grain. — 
Dangerous  Illness.  —  Carried  to  New  York.  —  Battle  of 
Long  Island. 195 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

• 

Condition  of  the  Army  after  the  Battle  of  Long  Island.  — 
Greene  convalescent.  —  Letter  to  Washington.  —  Council 
of  War.  —  Unfortunate  Decision.  —  Greene  urges  the  Call 
of  a  New  Council.  —  Decision  reversed.  —  Retreat  from  New 
York.  —  Battle  of  Harlem.  —  Greene  in  Command  in  the 
Jerseys.  —  What  was  thought  of  him.  —  His  Idea  of  what 
should  be  done.  —  Preparations  for  Defence.  —  His  Opinion 
of  Congress.  —  Letters  to  Governor  Cooke.  —  Resolves  of 
Congress.  —  Public  Opinion.  —  Privateering.  —  Hospitals.  — 
Recommendation  of  Officers  for  the  New  Army.  —  Charles 
Leo 208 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Howe  in  Motion.  —  Greene  to  Washington.  —  Expedition  to 
Statcn  Island.  —  Called  to  Council  at  Head-quarters.  —  Let- 


CONTENTS.  XXI 

ters,  and  Extracts  from   Letters. — Foreshadowings    of   the 
Quartermaster-General.  —  Greene's    Troops.  —  The   Passage 
of  the  Hudson. —Letters  to  Congress  and  General  Mifflin.     234 

CHAPTER    X. 

Letters  to  Washington.  —  Barracks  at  Fort  Independence  burnt. 

—  Letters  to  Washington.  —  Letter  to  Mrs.  Greene  —  John 
Clark  to  General  Greene.  —  The  Group  at  Fort  Lee.  —  Har- 
rison to  Greene 247 

CHAPTER    XI. 

Movements  of  the  Enemy.  —  Magaw  on  the  Alert.  —  Greene  to 
Washington.  —  Harrison  to  Greene.  — Washington  to  Greene. 

—  Greene  to  Washington.  —  Preparations  for  Defence.  — 
Letters  to  and  from  Greene.  —  Washington  at  Fort  Lee.  — 
Fall  of  Fort  Washington 260 


a 


CHAPTER    XII. 

Fall  of  Fort  Lee.  —  Different  Accounts  of  it.  —  Retreat  through 
the  Jerseys.  —  Greene's  Hopes.  —  Letters.  —  Inefficiency  of 
Congress.  —  Embarrassments  of  Washington's  Position.  — 
Ampler  Powers  conferred  on  Washington.  —  Greene  to  Gov- 
ernor Cooke. 276 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

Washington's  Confidence  in  Greene  excites  Jealousy.  —  Charles 
Lee.  —  Greene's  Share  in  the  Jersey  Campaign.  —  Surprise 
of  Trenton.  —  Letters.  —  Greene  in  Favor  of  following  up  the 
Surprise.  —  The  Assanpink.  —  Princeton.  —  March  to  Morris- 
town 296 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Effect  of  Success  on  the  Country  and  the  Army.  —  Position  of 
the  Army.  —  Recreations  of  Winter  Quarters.  —  Washington's 
Anxiety.  —  Greene  shares  it.  —  State  Rights.  —  Death  of  Col- 
onel Hitchcock.  —  Greene's  Regret  for  the  Loss  of  Mercer.  — 
Greene  in  want  of  a  Horse.  —  Expects  Active  Work.  —  Dif- 
ficulties in  Raising  the  New  Army.  —  Correspondence  with 
Governor  Cooke.  —  Defends  Washington.  —  Letters  and  Ex- 


XXll  CONTENTS. 

tracts.  —  Change  Produced  on  the  Character  of  the  War  by 
the  Declaration  of  Independence.  —  Bounties.  —  Inoculation. 

—  Delays  caused  by  a  Weak  Government 308 

CHAPTER    XV. 

Improved  State  of  Public  Feeling. —  Successful  E.xpeditions 
and  their  Effect.  —  Hamiltoa's  Entrance  into  Washington's  ' 
Family.  —  Correspondence  with  John  Adams  resumed.  — 
Washington's  Opinion  of  the  Policy  of  Congress  in  the  Case 
of  General  Lee.  —  Growth  of  Hostility  in  Congress  towards 
Washington.  —  Greene  sent  to  Philadelphia.  —  Appears  be- 
fore Congress.  —  Committee  appointed  to  confer  with  him.  — 
Letters.  —  Life  in  Philadelphia. — Returns  to  Camp.       .         .     331 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

Greene's  Return  to  Camp.  —  Birth  of  his  Second  Daughter. — 
Governor  Livingston's  Family.  —  Letter  to  Mrs.  Greene. — 
Anxiety  about  Rhode  Island.  —  Correspondence  with  Arnold. 

—  Spring.  —  Army  not  yet  raised.  -^  Letter  to  J.  Adams.  — 
Doubts  and  Conjectures  about  the  Enemy's  Plans.  —  At- 
tempt to  surprise  General  Lincoln.  —  American  Retaliation. 

—  Plans,  Positions,  Reports,  and  Conjectures.  —  Greene  sent 
with  Knox  to  examine  the  Passes  of  the  Hudson.  —  Reports 
and  Letters  to  Washington.  —  Return  to  Morristown.  —  Let- 
ters to  his  Wife 355 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

Scanty  Numbers  of  the  New  Army. —  Greene's  Division.  —  Wee- 
don. —  Muhlenber<j.  —  Exchanges  a  Regiment  with  Sullivan. 

—  New  Aid.  —  Washington's  Position.  —  Howe's  Plan.  — 
Lee's  Treason.  —  Conjectures  and  Perplexity  of  the  Ameri- 
cans. —  Preparations  for  the  Campaign.  —  Howe's  Manoeuvres. 

—  Americans  Advance  on  Brunswick.  —  Howe  foiled.  —  Dis- 
asters in  the  North.  —  Greene  expects  to  be  sent  North.  — 
Washington  unwilling  to  part  with  him.  —  Veil  partly  lifted. 

—  March  to  the  Delaware 380 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Greene,  Sullivan,  and  Knox  on  the  Point  of  resigning.  —  Their 
Conduct  misrepresented.  —  Defects  of  the  Civil  Government 


CONTENTS.  XXlll 

of  the  Revolution.  —  Change  in  the  Relations  between  Con- 
gress and  the  Country.  —  Relations  of  Congress  to  the  State 
Governments.  —  To   the  Army.  —  Opposition  and  Collisions. 

—  Question  of  Promotion.  —  Letters  to  John  Adams.  —  For- 
eign Officers.  —  Du  Coudray.  —  Conditional  Tender  of  Res- 
ignation.—  Congress  very  angry.  —  Resolutions.  —  Interrup- 
tion of  Greene's  Correspondence  with  John  Adams.  —  Letter 

to  President  of  Congress 402 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

American  Army  on  the  Banks  of  the  Delaware.  —  Perplexed 
by  Howe's  Movements. —  Different  Opinions  about  them. — 
Uneasiness  caused  by  the  Evacuation  of  Ticonderoga.  — 
Glimpse  of  Inner  Life.  —  Schuyler  and  New  England  Offi- 
cers. —  Letters  and  Extracts.  —  Council  of  War.  —  Lafay- 
ette. —  Army  on  the  Point  of  Moving  Northward.  —  Howe 
in  Chesapeake  Bay.  —  American  Army  marches  Southward. 

—  March  through  Philadelphia.  —  Washington  Reconnoitring. 

—  Camp  at  Red  Clay  Creek.  —  Greene  condemns  the  Posi- 
tion. —  Henry  Lee.  —  Army  at  Chad's  Ford.  —  Battle  of  the 
Brandywine .         .     428 

CHAPTER    XX. 

American  Army  not  discouraged  by  their  Defeat.  —  March  to 
Germantown,  —  Sullivan    unjustly  blamed.  —  Weedon    dis- 
satisfied. —  Greene   and   Washington.  —  Preparations   for   ad- 
vancing towards  the  Enemy.  —  Advance  to  Warren's  Tavern. 

—  Battle  prevented  by  a  Storm.  —  Greene's  Choice  of  a 
Position.  —  Marches   and    Countermarches. — Howe  deceives 

the  Americans,  and  crosses  the  Schuylkill.        ....     454 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

Howe  in  Philadelphia.  —  Straitened  for  Provisions.  —  Wash- 
ington's Preparations  for  the  Defence  of  the  Delaware.  — 
Council  of  War  oppose  a  Battle.  —  Further  Intelligence.  — 
Battle  decided  upon.  —  Advance  of  the  Army  and  Battle  of 
Germantown. 470 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

Beginning  of  the  Cabal  against  Washington.  —  Forts  on  the 
Delaware.  —  Christopher  Greene.  —  Operations  on  both  Sides 


XXIV  CONTENTS. 

of  the  Delaware. — Attack  of  Ked  Bank.  —  Defeat  and 
Death  of  Donop.  —  Rejoicings  of  the  Americans.  —  Colonel 
Greene  thanked  by  Congress  and  congratulated  by  "Washing- 
ton and  General  Greene.  —  Washington  anxious  to  attack 
the   British. — Movements  for  the  Support  of  Fort  Mifflin. 

—  Attack  and  Fall  of  Fort  Mifflin 482 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Howe  resolved  to  have  the  Left  Bank  of  the  Delaware.  —  Corn- 
wallis  sent  to  secure  it.  —  Greene  sent  to  oppose  him. — 
Reasons  for  disliking  the  Service.  —  Conway's  Letter  to 
Gates.  —  Ought  Red  Bank  to  be  held  ?  —  Greene  on  the 
March.  —  Letter  to  his  Wife. —  Crosses  the  Delaware. — Let- 
ter to  Yarnum.  —  To  Washington.  —  Fort  Mercer  evacuated. 

—  Greene's  Prospects  not  bright.  —  Glover's  Brigade.  —  Colo- 
nel Comstock.  —  Council  at  Head-quarters  on  attacking 
Philadelphia.  —  Letters  to  and  from  Washington.  —  Greene 
rejoins  the  main  Army.  —  Contemporary  Opinion  of  his  Con- 
duct.—  Marshall's  Opinion 510 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

Winter  March  to  Valley  Forge.  —  The  Valley.  —  Hut  Build- 
ing! —  The  Encampment.  —  Position  condemned  by  De  Kalb 
and  Varnum.  —  Alarm  from  the  Enemy.  —  Distress  of  the 
Army  for  Food.  —  Letters.  —  Discontent.  —  Congressional 
Committee.  —  Greene  sent  to  collect  Supplies.  —  Letters  to 
Washington 536 

CHAPTER    XXV. 

Momentary  Relief  of  the  Army.  —  Greene's  daily  Duties.  — 
Social  Life  in  Camp.  —  Lafayette,  Steuben,  Duponceau,  De 
Kalb,  Fleury,  &c.  —  Appearance  of  the  Encampment.  — AVhat 
Men  talked  about.  —  Rhode  Island's  Negro  Regiment.  —  Steu- 
ben's  Arrival  and  first  Steps  in  Disciplining  the  Army.    .         .     564 


LIFE   OF  NATHANAEL   GREENE, 


BOOK    FIRST. 

FROM    HIS    BIRTH    TO    HIS    APPOINTMENT    AS    COM- 
MANDER  OF   THE   RHODE  ISLAND   ARMY 
OF   OBSERVATION. 

1742-1775. 


BOOK    FIRST. 

FROM  HIS  BIRTH  TO  HIS  APPOINTMENT  AS   COMMANDER 
OF   THE   RHODE  ISLAND  ARMY  OF  OBSERVATION. 

1742-1775. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Potowomut.  —  John  Greene.  —  Birtli  of  Natlianael  Greene.  —  The 
Quaker  Preacher  and  his  Family.  —  Habits  and  Customs  of  the 
Times.  —  Anecdotes  of  Nathanael  Greene.  —  Quaker  Views  of 
Literature.  —  Nathanael's  First  Studies.  —  Giles  and  the  Holiday 
Walk.  —  East  Greenwich.  —  Master  Maxwell.  —  New  Studies.  — 
The  Winter-Evening  Fireside.  —  The  Eight  Sons.  —  Colonial  Tradi- 
tions. —  Pocket  Money.  —  The  Sail  to  Newport  —  Buying  Books. 
—  Dr.  Stiles. 

/~\N  the  western  shore  of  Narraganset  Bay,  and 
^-^  midway  almost  between  the  northern  and 
southern  extremities  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island, 
lies  a  tract  of  land  still  known  by  its  Indian  name 
of  Potowomut,  or  place  of  all  the  fires.^  It  is  a 
peninsula  of  unequal  width,  though  about  two 
miles  wide  in  its  broadest  part,  and  bounded  on 
the  south  by  a  fresh-water  river,  navigable  for 
small  craft  for  about  two  miles  from  its  mouth, 
and  called,  like  the  land  on  its  left  bank,  by  its 
original  name  of  Potowomut.  At  the  head  of 
navigation  of  this  little  stream,  and  where  it 
ceases  to  feel  the  influence  of  the  tide  from  the 

1  Works  of  Job  Durfee,  p.  162. 


4  LIFE    OF   NATH-\NAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

bay,  the  smaller  streamlets  that  form  it  are  gath- 
ered mto  a  pond,  —  once,  apparently,  a  mere  hol- 
low between  two  small  hills,  in  which  part  of 
the  water  remained  while  part  made  its  way  over 
the  lower  rim  of  the  valley  to  the  channel  of  the 
river.  The  banks  of  these  smaller  streams  are 
still  covered  with  brushwood  and  trees.  There 
are  trees  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  pond  also, 
—  oaks  for  the  most  part,  and,  though  not  thick 
set,  yet  enough  so  to  show  that  the  whole  tract 
must  have  been  well  wooded  in  1654,  when 
Randal  Houlden  and  Ezekiel  Hollyman  bought 
it  for  themselves  and  their  fellow-to^vnsmen  of 
Warwick,  of  Taccomanan  and  his  sons  Awasho- 
tiist  and  Wawanockashaw,  for  fifteen  pounds  in 
wampumpeage  and  "ye  valine  of  one  coate  of 
such  clothe  as  ye  Indians  doe  now  commonly  use 
to  weare,  annually  as  a  gratuitv."  ^ 

One  of  these  inhabitants  of  Warwick  was  John 
Greene,  surgeon,  a  native  of  Salisbury  in  Eng- 
land, who,  coming  over  "in  the  next  company 
after  Roger  Williams,"^  with  his  wife  and  five 
children,  had  followed  Williams  to  Providence 
and  Gorton  to  Shawomet,  thus  becoming  an  origi- 
nal proprietor  in  both  places.  The  purchase  of 
Potowomut  had  brought  it  within  the  jiu'isdiction 
of  Warwick,  although  separated  from  it  by  the  full 
width  of  Shawomet  or  Greenwich  Bay  ;  and  here, 

1  Bartlctt,  Records  of  the  Colony  Family,  compiled  by  General  Greene, 
of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plan-  I  am  told  by  a  member  of  the  family, 
tations,  Vol.  I.  p.  131,  note.  though  the  indorsement  says  by  Gen- 

2  MS.  Genealogy  of  the  Greene  cral  Greene's  father. 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  O 

in  the  old  homestead,  Nathanael  Greene,  fifth  in 
descent  from  the  original  emigrant,  "  was  born  the 
twenty-seventh  day  of  fifth  month,  1742,  about  one 
or  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day  of 
the  week."  ^  His  father,  Nathanael,  the  second  of 
that  name  in  the  family,  was  a  Quaker  preacher, 
eminent,  tradition  says,  for  his  vigorous  enforce- 
ment of  evangelical  truth,  but  equally  well  known 
among  his  neighbors  as  a  large  landed  proprietor, 
and  the  owner  of  a  grist-mill,  a  flour-inill,  a  saw- 
mill, and  a  forge,  which  he  kept  in  constant  and 
profitable  operation.  Eight  sons,  two  of  them  by 
his  first  wife,  Phoebe  Greene,  the  other  six  by  his 
second  wife,  Mary  Mott,  were  trained  from  their 
boyhood  to  work  in  the  fields,  the  mills,  and  the 
forge;  to  walk  their  two  miles  to  the  meeting- 
house in  all  weathers;  and  having  learnt  to  read 
in  George  Fox's  "  Instructions  for  right  Spelling 
and  plain  Directions  for  Reading  and  Writing  true 
English,"^  and  mastered  the  curious  collection  of 
miscellaneous  information  which  it  contains,  were 
expected  to  find  ample  food  for  their  literary  curi- 
osity during  the  rest  of  their  lives  in  the  "  Holy 
Scriptures,  Barclay's  Apology,  Fox,  Townsend,  and 
a  few  others  of  the  same  tenor  and  date."  ^ 

The  habits  of  the  country  were  primitively  sim- 

1  Greene,  Gen.  ut  sup.  As  the  of  this  curious  little  volume  to  ray 
new  style  is  mentioned  in  one  of  the  friend  Charles  Deane,  Esq.,  of  Cam- 
later    entries   this    must   have    been     bridge,  Mass. 

O.  S.,  and  consequently  the  6th  of        ^  General  Greene's  own  words  in 
June.  a  letter  to   S.    Ward,  Jr.,   Oct.    9, 

2  I  am  indebted  for  my  knowledge     1772. 


6  LIFE   OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

pie,  those  of  tlio  Quakers  rigorously  so.  Carriages 
were  little  used,  the  father  of  a  family  riding  to 
meeting  with  his  wife  on  a  pillion  behind  him,  and 
sometimes  with  a  younger  child  on  a  cushion  be- 
fore ;  the  rest  of  the  family,  servants  and  all,  fol- 
lowing after  on  foot.  It  was  a  proof  that  Nathanael 
Greene  was  well  to  do  in  the  world  that  he  was  the 
owner  of  a  chair.  The  boys  would  work  hard  all 
day,  and  walk  half  a  dozen  miles  for  a  visit  or  a 
frolic  in  the  evening.  The  table  was  abundantly 
supplied  with  nutritious  food,  meat  forming  a  part 
of  every  meal,  and  cider  from  their  own  orchards 
being  the  principal  drink.  By  the  rules  of  the 
Quakers  every  boy  was  trained  to  some  handicraft, 
and  by  the  habits  of  the  country  all  worked  with 
their  own  hands.  But  thrift  was  also  a  habit  of  the 
countrj",  and  the  foundations  of  that  industrial  pros- 
perity which  has  won  for  Rhode  Island  so  high  a 
place  among  her  sister  States  were  already  laid  in 
the  laborious  habits  and  judicious  enterprise  of  her 
Colonial  da  vs. 

As  the  laro-est  town  contained  but  little  over  five 
thousand  inhabitants,  there  was  no  very  material 
difference  between  town  and  country  life.  The 
meetings  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  sessions  of 
the  court,  which  were  held  alternately  in  the  prin- 
cipal towns,  were  the  great  civil  gatherings  of  the 
people.  And  as  the  day  for  them  approached,  inn- 
keepers were  seen  bustling  about  with  an  air  of 
busy  importance;  —  the  larder  was  stocked  anew, 
the  huge  oven  filled  to  overflowing  with  apple-pies 


1742-1775.]  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  7 

and  pumpkin-pies,  the  cider-barrel  tapped  and  tast- 
ed ;  the  old  drudge-horse  wearied  with  journeys 
to  the  mills  for  the  rye  and  Indian  meal  that  were 
to  furnish  the  morning  and  evenmg  board  with 
the  oblong  johnny-cake  and  the  cone-shaped  brown 
bread,  and  the  dinner-table  with  the  luscious  suet- 
pudding  and  the  spherical  dumpling,  that  borrowed 
such  a  flavor  from  the  rich  meat  gravy.  Bedroom 
windows  were  opened,  and  the  long  unused  bed 
aired.  All  along  the  highways  and  cross-paths 
from  the  neighboring  towns  and  villages,  you  would 
see  travellers  journeying  resolutely  forward  through 
rain  or  dust,  some  on  foot,  some  on  horseback,  some 
alone,  some  gathered  in  friendly  groups.  The  man 
with  "  a  case  in  court "  was  readily  known  by  his 
half  important,  half  anxious  air  ;  the  idler,  by  his 
story  and  jest ;  and  between  those  who  came  for 
business  and  those  who  came  for  curiosity,  the 
quiet  streets  would  buzz  and  hum  with  life. 

For  the  Quakers,  the  great  gathering  times  were 
the  yearly,  quarterly,  and  monthly  meetings,  when 
every  Quaker  door  was  thrown  ojDcn,  and  every 
seat  at  table  and  in  the  meeting-house  filled.  Na- 
thanael  Greene's  house,  family  tradition  tells  us, 
was  always  well  filled  on  these  occasions,  and  the 
good  cheer  that  he  set  before  his  guests  seasoned 
with  good  counsel  to  the  young,  and  pleasant  inter- 
change of  thought  and  experience  with  the  old. 
Tradition  adds,  too,  that  there  were  moments  when 
the  grave  Quaker  brow  relaxed,  and  a  merry  jest 
or  tale,  provoking  a  merry  laugh,  was  heard  from 


8  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

Quaker  lips.  However  this  may  be,  these  meet- 
ings were  not  without  their  effect  upon  the  imagi- 
nations of  the  younger  members  of  the  family,  as 
a  change  in  the  daily  routine,  returning  at  stated 
intervals  and  looked  forward  to  from  a  distance  ; 
and  upon  the  character,  as  bringing  them  into  closer 
contact  with  thoughtful  men  and  women  in  their 
most  thoughtful  mood.  It  was  a  part  of  the  Qua- 
ker's moral  and  social  training,  and  not  to  be  for- 
gotten in  the  study  of  a  life  more  than  half  of 
which  was  passed  under  Quaker  influences. 

Recreation  came  with  tlie  duties  of  rural  life, 
and  partly  under  the  guise  of  competition,-^ — to  cut 
the  broadest  sw^ath,  tm^n  the  deepest  furrow,  get 
the  most  work  out  of  the  oxen  without  straining 
them,  lift  the  heaviest  weight,  and  shape  the  new- 
mo^vii  hay  into  the  neatest  and  firmest  stack. 
Then,  for  the  young  Greenes,  there  was  a  swim  in 
the  clear  cool  river  at  the  close  of  a  sultry  day ;  a 
half-hour  on  the  smooth  ice  of  the  well-sheltered 
pond  by  winter  starlight  or  moonlight,  or  before 
the  tardy  sun  called  them  to  their  morning  task  ; 
and,  most  prized  of  all,  the  merry  huskings  ^  in  Oc- 
tober evenings,  which  even  the  dread  of  the  relent- 
less rod  could  not  always  keep  from  running  into  a 
dance,  —  that  greatest  of  abommations  to  the  eyes 
of  a  Quaker. 

Several  anecdotes  of  Nathanael  Greene's  boyhood 
have  been  preserved,  which,  if  not  very  remarkable, 

1  Those  scenes  so  well  described  ia     "  The  corn-husks  rustle  and  the  corn- 
Barlow's  "  Hasty  Pudding,"  where  cobs  crack." 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  9 

have  at  least  the  merit  of  being  perfectly  authen- 
tic. An  early  playmate  of  his,  whom  I  remember 
well,  used  to  talk  with  great  pride  of  his  old  com- 
panion's feats  of  strength.  Dancing  he  was  par- 
ticularly fond  of,  and,  being  a  general  favorite,  he 
was  always  sure  to  be  told  beforehand  whenever  a 
husking  was  to  end  in  a  dance.  Nor,  as  his  broth- 
ers used  to  relate,  was  the  pleasure  any  the  less 
coveted  for  the  rigor  of  the  prohibition  or  the  cer- 
tainty of  the  chastisement.  His  father  kept  regu- 
lar hours,  and,  long  before  the  first  set  in  a  modern 
ball  would  be  started,  his  orderly  family  was  sup- 
posed to  be  abed  and  asleep.  Then  it  was  that  the 
truant  would  slip  softly  from  his  pillow,  put  on  his 
clothes,  silently  raise  the  window,  and  let  himself 
cautiously  down  upon  the  soft  grass  of  the  yard. 
I  have  forgotten  how  he  got  back  again,  but  for 
this  too  he  found  a  way ;  and  if  on  any  of  those 
autumn  nights  his  watchful  parent  had  made  an 
inspection  of  the  household  not  too  close  upon  mid- 
night, he  would  have  found  the  windows  shut  and 
all  his  sons  in  their  places.  Thus  more  than  one 
merry  evening  was  gained,  and  the  future  strategist 
had  got  almost  to  look  upon  himself  as  secure  from 
detection,  when,  returning  one  night  from  a  distant 
excursion,  what  should  he  see  by  the  clear  starlight 
but  his  father,  —  horsewhip  in  hand,  pacing  with 
ominous  patience  to  and  fro  beneath  the  tell-tale 
window.  It  was  very  clear  that,  if  any  Scripture 
text  was  the  subject  of  the  venerable  preacher's 
meditations  at  that  inauspicious  moment,  it  must 


10  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

have  been  Solomon's  warning  to  those  who  spare 
the  rod.  It  evidently  was  not  to  be  spared  on  this 
occasion  ;  but  might  it  not  be  deprived  of  its  sting  ? 
Thus  far  the  culprit  had  not  been  seen.  Close  b}', 
on  the  other  side  of  the  house,  there  was  a  bundle 
of  shingles.  With  a  quickness  of  thought  that 
stood  him  well  in  stead  on  many  a  worthier  occa- 
sion, he  stole  softly  round  the  comer,  stuffed  as 
many  shingles  under  his  coat  as  he  needed  to  form 
an  impervious  corselet,  then,  coming  forward  with 
well-feigned  terror,  submitted  to  his  chastisement ; 
not  forffettinof'  that  vehement  Ohs !  and  Ahs  !  were 
an  essential  part  of  the  comedy. 

Better  things,  however,  were  mingled  with  this 
love  of  forbidden  pleasure.  Literary  culture  was 
not  in  favor  with  the  Quakers.  "  I  was  educated  a 
Quaker,"  he  writes  in  1772,  looking  back  with 
something  like  bitterness  of  heart  upon  this  period 
of  his  life,  "  and  amongst  the  most  superstitious 
sort.  My  father  was  a  man  of  great  piety,  had  an 
excellent  understandinor.  and  was  governed  in  his 
conduct  by  humanity  and  kind  benevolence,  but 
his  mind  was  overshadowed  with  prejudice  against 
literary  accomplishments."  Still,  reading  was  ne- 
cessary as  a  means  of  reading  the  Bible,  and  writ- 
ing and  ciphering  as  a  means  of  doing  business 
accuratelv.  And  therefore,  in  the  lonor  winter 
evenings,  an  itinerant  teacher  was  employed  to 
teach  the  boys  to  read,  write,  and  cipher.  This 
was  all  that  Nathanael  Greene  knew  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  ;  nor  did  the  little  book-shelf  in  the  sitting- 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  11 

room  corner  contain  anything  to  awaken  a  desire 
of  knowino-  more. 

One  day,  however,  in  a  winter  ramble,  chance 
threw  into  his  path  a  young  man  of  the  name 
of  Giles,  a  collegian  on  a  vacation  \asit  to  East 
Greenwich,  who,  talking  to  him  about  college  and 
college  studies,  and  arousing  the  curiosity  that  had 
hitherto  slept  so  calmly  but  was  never  to  sleep 
again,  glides  into  history  for  a  moment  and  then 
vanishes  forever.  Nathanael  Greene  returned  from 
that  day's  walk  another  boy,  —  returned  to  the 
forge  and  the  farm  and  the  mill,  to  his  station  at 
the  anvil  and  his  seat  by  the  hopper ;  but  not  to 
the  content  of  being  foremost  at  his  daily  work, 
and  leader  in  the  morning  and  evening  sports  of 
his  companions.  As  he  looked  upon  the  running 
stream,  the  growing  grain,  the  mysterious  light  and 
motion  of  the  stars,  —  even  as  he  watched  the  re- 
volving wheel,  and  the  reddening  iron,  or  shaped 
with  his  ponderous  hammer  the  anchor  which  was 
to  fasten  its  pointed  fluke  into  the  oozy  bottom  of 
some  distant  sea,  —  questions  and  doubts  and  long- 
ings came  crowding  upon  his  mind,  and  he  had 
neither  book  nor  friend  to  answer  them.  The  day 
of  unquestioning  faith  was  passed.  Henceforth,  to 
believe,  he  must  first  understand. 

It  must  have  been  an  anxious  moment  in  the 
father's  life  when  this  son,  so  fuU  of  promise,  came 
to  him  and  asked  him  for  better  means  of  study. 
All  his  life-long  distrust  of  learning  must  have  risen 
up  in  his  mind  at  the  appeal,  and  hardened  him 


12  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

against  it.  But  though  a  prejudiced  man,  he  was 
a  just  man.  His  boy  had  done  his  duty  in  the 
forge  and  the  mill,  and  was  it  not  the  father's 
duty  to  grant  his  request  ?  In  the  end  it  proved 
a  first  step  in  his  own  disenfranchisement ;  for  a 
few  years  later  he  went  further  still,  and  studied 
Locke's  Essay  on  the  Understanding,  making  him- 
self master  of  its  most  abstruse  discussions. 

Two  miles  from  Potowomut,  on  a  green  hillside 
that  slopes  gently  downward  to  a  retired  little  inlet 
of  Narraganset  Bay,  stands  East  Greenwich,  then,  as 
now,  a  quiet  rural  village,  with  large  elms  throwing 
their  fraternal  branches  over  its  principal  street, 
and  compact  wooden  houses  scattered  loosely  over 
its  surface,  each  with  its  little  garden  in  the  rear. 
Here  was  a  court-house,  here  was  a  Baptist  meeting- 
house, and  just  beyond  the  hill-top,  in  a  little  valley 
through  which  the  Masquachugh  flows  with  a  slen- 
der current  and  a  pleasant  murmur  to  mingle  with 
the  waters  of  Greenwich  Cove,  stood  the  plain 
wooden  building  in  which  Nathanael  Greene  the 
elder  was  wont,  when  his  thoughts  waxed  fervent 
within  him,  to  pour  them  forth  in  words  that  sank 
deep  into  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.  And  here,  too, 
lived  a  teacher  by  the  name  of  Maxwell,  —  Master 
Maxwell,  the  old  men  of  my  boyhood  still  called 
him,  who  had  brought  with  him  much  learning 
from  the  schools  and  colleges  of  his  native  Scot- 
land. Under  his  guidance  young  Greene  began 
Latin  and  geometr}',  and,  talking  with  him,  felt  the 
longings  which   his  conversation    with   Giles    had 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  13 

awakened  grow  more  definite  and  distinct.  How 
far  his  Latin  was  carried,  it  is  no  longer  possible  to 
determine.  His  brother  Christopher  used  to  tell 
of  his  going  up  into  a  little  room  over  the  kitchen 
to  study  his  lessons  without  interruption.  Dupon- 
ceau  told  Longfellow  and  me  in  1835,  that  in  a 
long  evening  which  he  passed  with  General  Greene 
and  Baron  Steuben,  on  their  journey  southward  in 
1780,  "  Greene  turned  the  conversation  upon  the 
Latin  poets,  with  whom  he  seemed  perfectly  famil- 
iar."^ But  I  find  no  other  testimony  upon  the 
subject.  There  are  no  quotations  from  Latin  au- 
thors in  his  letters,  except  one  in  English  from 
Seneca's  epistles,  which  he  may  have  read  in  a 
translation.  His  Horace,  which  he  is  known  to 
have  read  constantly,  was  Smart's  two  little  duo- 
decimos with  the  English  facing  the  text,  well 
known  and  duly  prized  by  the  school-boys  of  two 
generations  ago  ;  and  the  Caesar  that  he  purchased 
in  1774  was  Duncan's  translation  without  the  text. 
The  extent  of  his  Latin  studies  is  very  doubtful. 

But  about  his  Euclid  there  is  no  doubt.  He  had 
bought  the  volume  with  his  own  earnings,  a  solid 
octavo  stoutly  bound  in  dark  sheep-skin,  and  he  de- 
voted himself  to  the  study  of  it  with  the  ardor  of  a 
vigorous  mind  in  its  first  taste  of  positive  science. 
It  became  his  comj^anion  at  the  forge  and  in  the 

1  I  have  also   a  letter  from  him  — still  unfortunately  in  manuscript, 

upon  the  subject,  and  he  afterwards  I  am  indebted  for  my  knowledge  of 

repeated   the   same  anecdote  in   his  it  to  my  friend  Friederich  Kapp,  the 

memoirs,  —  a  very  interesting  work,  historian  of  Steuben  and  De  Kalb. 


14  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

mill,  and  in  my  boyhood  his  brothers  still  loved  to 
point  out  the  seat  by  the  forge  where  he  would 
stud}'  it  while  the  iron  was  heating,  and  tell  with 
proud  complacency,  how,  when  his  turn  called  him 
to  the  gristrmill,  he  would  often  forget  himself  in 
his  book  lono;  after  the  last  kernel  had  been 
shaken  from  the  hopper. 

Summer  brought  no  relaxation  in  his  daily  la- 
bors, but  the  long  winter  evenings  were  all  his 
own,  and  well  did  he  turn  them  to  account.  No 
part  of  New  England  life  was  more  characteristic, 
or  has  left  a  deeper  impression  than  these  evenings 
by  the  winter  fireside.^  The  huge  chimney  was 
all  ablaze  with  the  crackling  wood  fire ;  and  if  the 
tallow  candles  gave  a  dim  light,  the  fire-light  on 
the  walls  and  the  brigrht  coals  on  the  hearth  lent 
a  cheerful  glow  to  the  room,  that  seldom  failed  to 
awaken  a  kindred  glow  in  the  heart.  In  the 
snug  corner,  sheltered  from  the  draft  of  win- 
dow or  door,  sat  the  mother  with  her  knitting- 
needles  ;  or  on  Saturday  evenings,  her  darning- 
needle  flashing  swiftly  to  and  fro  in  her  skilful 
fingers.  It  was  thus  that  the  warm  yarn  stocking 
and  the  stout  mitten  grew  steadily  day  by  day, 
without  encroaching  upon  the  other  duties  of  the 
industrious  housewife.  Right  over  against  her,  in 
his  straight-backed  wooden-seated  chair,  sat  the 
father.  His  day's  work  is  done,  —  you  need  not 
ask  him  whether  well  or  ill,  for  the  day's  history  is 

1  I  gladly  record  my  indebtedness     "Snow-Bound," — beautiful   poetry 
to    Whittier's    tlmrming  picture  in     and  true  history. 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  15 

written  on  liis  face,  and  the  evening's  history  may 
be  easily  read  beforehand  in  the  contracted  or  the 
open  brow.  Sometimes,  when  he  has  been  kept 
out  in  the  cold  longer  than  usual,  you  will  see  a 
mug  on  the  hot  ashes,  just  within  reach  of  the  heat 
from  the  coals.  It  is  filled  Avith  cider  from  his  own 
press,  and  before  he  drinks  it  a  little  ginger  will  be 
mixed  with  it  to  give  it  a  warmer  glow,  and  a  hot 
iron  stirred  in  it  to  make  it  froth  and  bubble.  Close 
round  the  "  resplendent  brass  "  of  the  andirons,  you 
would  often  see  a  sputtering  row  of  apples  ;  and 
often  too  the  quick  sharp  blow  of  the  hammer 
would  tell  that  the  rich  shagbark  had  not  failed  in 
the  October  woods.  Happy  was  the  fireside  whose 
circle  was  filled  with  sons  and  daughters  ready  to 
lighten  the  task  of  father  and  mother  and  confirm 
their  hopes. 

There  was  no  daughter  at  Nathanael  Greene's 
fireside,  the  only  one  he  had  ever  had,  Phebe,  who, 
though  the  child  of  his  second  wife,  bore  the  name 
of  the  first,  not  living  to  complete  her  first  year. 
But  eight  sons  formed  a  goodly  circle.  Benjamin 
and  Thomas  were  children  of  his  first  wife,  his 
cousin,  Phebe  Greene.  The  other  six,  of  Mary 
Mott,  his  second  wife.  Mary  Rodman,  who  took 
the  wife's  seat  on  "the  28th  day  of  the  11th 
month,  1754,"  was  childless,  but  quickly  learnt  to 
look  upon  her  husband's  children  as  her  own. 

Of  these  six,  the  eldest  was  named  Jacob,  first  of 
that  name  in  the  family  record.  We  shall  meet 
him  by  and  by  as  commissar}^  of  purchases,  when  his 


16  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

brother  became  Quartermaster-General.  We  meet 
him  also  in  the  State  Legislature,  of  which  he  was 
several  times  a  member.  When  his  brother  joined 
the  army,  he  took  his  place  at  Coventry,  where 
he  lived  to  the  dav  of  his  sudden  death  in  1805. 
Phebe  came  next,  and  then  Nathanael.  William 
followed,  the  only  bachelor  of  the  six.  I  remem- 
ber him  well  in  his  feeble  old  age,  as  the  first  out- 
side of  our  own  roof  to  whom  we  went  with  our 
"Merry  Christmas,"  always  finding  a  large  Christ- 
mas cake  in  wait  for  our  coming.  Elihu  was  the 
fifth,  an  old  man  when  I  knew  him,  but  a  cheery, 
hale  old  man,  still  active  at  the  forge,  still  ready 
to  raise  the  dam  gate,  and  take  his  seat  by  the 
hopper,  and,  what  we  boys  prized  most  of  all,  ever 
gentle  and  patient  and  kind.  His  wafe  had  long 
been  dead,  but  he  had  never  taken  to  himself  a 
second,  unwilling,  perhaps,  to  give  to  another  the 
place  that  had  once  been  filled  by  a  grand-niece  of 
Franklin.  But  strongest,  heartiest,  and  halest  of 
all,  in  my  boyish  days,  was  the  fifth  son,  Christo- 
pher, straight  and  firm,  with  the  broad  forehead 
and  decided  mouth  of  his  brother  the  General,  and 
a  voice  that  even  in  old  ao-e  rancir  out  as  clear  and 
shrill  as  a  bugle-call.  Kind  at  heart  though  quick 
of  temper,  he  too  was  an  active,  busy  man  to  the 
last.  It  was  but  two  days  before  his  death  that  he 
followed  me  to  the  door  to  shake  hands  with  me  a 
second  time,  and  the  very  day  before  it  he  rode 
his  favorite  filly  to  Greenwich.  With  Elihu  he 
lived  on  the  old  homestead,  and  carried  on  the  old 


1742-1775.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  17 

business.  The  little  sloop  that  conveyed  their 
anchors  to  Providence  and  Newport  was  named 
the  "Two  Brothers,"  in  commemoration  of  their 
fraternal  love,  and  it  is  still  remembered  with  pride 
that  in  their  long  partnership  they  never  thought 
of  a  settlement  of  accounts.  A  son  of  Christopher 
yet  holds  the  old  homestead,  which  thus  far  has 
never  passed  out  of  the  name.  In  one  thing  the 
two  brothers  differed,  —  for  while  Elihu  remained 
a  widower,  Christopher  married  twice,  and  each 
time  a  daughter  of  Governor  Samuel  Ward.  The 
last  and  youngest  child  was  Perry,  different  in 
many  respects  from  his  brothers,  our  traditions 
say,  but  of  fine  talents  and  engaging  address. 

But  they  were  all  boys  still,  and  with  life  all 
before  them,  in  the  days  of  which  I  am  now  telling; 
and,  hopeful  as  the  father  must  have  felt  when  he 
cast  his  eyes  round  upon  them,  his  hopes  can  hardly 
have  gone  beyond  the  promise  which  they  gave  of 
growing  up  to  walk  in  his  footsteps  as  thrifty  and 
useful  members  of  society.  No  visions  of  Guilford 
and  Eutaw  came  to  disturb  his  tranquil  anticipa- 
tions of  a  peaceful  life  and  peaceful  death  for  all. 

It  was  around  these  firesides  that  Colonial  history 
w^as  first  formed,  father  repeating  it  to  son  till  fam- 
ily tradition  grew  into  narrative.  John  Greene's 
story  was  an  eventful  one,  —  the  story  of  exile  and 
persecution  for  conscience'  sake.  It  must  have  had 
a  touch  of  the  stern  Puritan  days  in  it,  though  he 
was  not  a  Puritan.  Like  Roger  Williams,  he  claimed 
"  soul  liberty,"  and  was  driven  from  Massachusetts. 


18  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

Like  his  friend  Gorton,  he  claimed  the  fullest  exer- 
cise of  that  liberty,  and  joined  with  him  in  the 
purchase  and  settlement  of  Warwick.  He  was  one 
of  the  twelve  who  were  summoned  to  submit 
themselves  to  a  Massachusetts  tribunal,  and  only 
escaped,  by  timely  flight,  the  siege,  condemnation, 
and  imprisonment  which  fell  so  heavily  npon  his 
companions.^  Like,  them,  too,  his  convictions  won 
peace  for  him  at  last,  and  he  was  repeatedly  chosen 
by  his  fellow-citizens  to  offices  of  honor  and  trust. 
Nor  was  he  indifferent  to  his  profession.  There  is 
still  a  manuscript  volume  in  existence,  in  which, 
anticipating  Buchan,  he  endeavors  to  bring  the  de- 
scription and  treatment  of  disease  within  the  com- 
prehension of  every  father  and  mother.  The  old 
Quaker's  heart  must  have  glowed  as  he  told  the 
story  of  this  first  emigrant,  for  in  the  religious  in- 
dependence which  Gorton  taught  there  was  a  sug- 
gestive resemblance  to  the  independence  of  forms 
which  George  Fox  taught.  From  that  day  civil 
honors  were  found  in  each  generation  of  the 
Greenes,  each  having  its  Secretary,  or  Deputy, 
or  Governor. 

And  now  too,  in  these  very  years,  1753-  1755, 
the  name  of  Washington  first  began  to  be  heard  at 
Colonial  firesides  ;  his  journey  through  the  wilder- 
ness ;  his  gallant  stand  with  a  handful  of  followers 
at  the  "  Great  Meadows  "  ;  his  almost  miraculous 

1  Greene's  connection  with  Gorton  one  of  his  chief  proselytes,  gave  Gor- 

is  expressly  stated  in  "  Some  Notices  ton  half  of  his  divided  lands  at  Paw- 

of   Samuel  Gorton,  &c.,"  edited  by  tuxet."    (p.  35.)      See  aho  Stnpies's 

Mr.  Charles  Deane.     "  John  Greene,  edition  of  "  Siraplicitie's  Defence." 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  19 

preservation  on  the  fatal  field  of  the  Monongahela. 
Much  as  the  rigid  Quaker  detested  war,  these  things 
touched  the  Colonists  too  nearly  not  to  find  a 
greedy  ear  in  every  circle.  How  did  young  Greene 
feel  when  he  first  heard  the  name  of  his  future 
leader  and  friend  ? 

One  part  of  these  leisure  hours,  says  a  family 
tradition,  was  still  devoted  to  work ;  not,  indeed, 
his  regular  work,  but  to  the  making  of  toy  anchors 
and  other  toys  of  iron,  grinding  oft'  the  callous  skin 
from  his  hands  that  he  might  hold  the  tiny  things 
more  easily.  These  were  his  own,  and  to  these  he 
looked  for  pocket-money,  for  he  could  hardly  ex- 
pect his  father  to  buy  him  books.  His  only  real 
holiday  was  when  the  sloop  took  her  load  of  an- 
chors to  Newport,  for  then  he  could  sell  his  little 
venture,  and  add,  with  the  proceeds,  a  new  book  to 
his  library.  For  the  Newport  of  those  days  was  the 
great  city  of  the  Colony,  and  it  was  not  without 
something  like  an  expanding  of  his  conceptions 
that,  as  the  little  sloop  rounded  Long  Wharf,  he 
caught  his  first  glimpse  of  ships  that,  but  a  few 
weeks  before,  had  been  lying  at  a  wharf  in  London 
or  Bristol ;  that,  as  he  walked  up  Church  Lane,  he 
saw  the  steeple  of  Trinity  rising  high  over  Berke- 
ley's organ,  and  farther  on  the  Corinthian  portico 
of  the  Kedwood  Library  opening  upon  more  books 
than  it  seemed  possible  to  read  in  a  lifetime.  One 
of  these  excursions  proved  a  turning  point  in  his 
progress. 

He  had  sold  his  wares,  and  hurried  oft*,  money  in 


20  LIFE   OF   NATHAN.iEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

hand,  to  the  bookstore,  an  eager,  impetuous  boy  in 
spite  of  his  broad-brimmed  hat  and  peaceful  drab, 
neither  of  them,  perhaps,  altogether  free  from  the 
traces  of  the  mill. 

*'  I  want  to  buy  a  book."  "  What  book  ?  "  asked 
the  bookseller,  stopping  short  in  his  conversation 
with  an  earnest-faced  young  man  in  the  dress  of  a 
clergyman,  and  looking,  it  may  be,  somewhat  quiz- 
zingly  at  his  new  customer.  The  clergyman  turned 
to  look  also,  and  saw  so  much  to  please  him  in  the 
open  countenance  and  bright  eye  of  the  blushing 
boy,  that  he  took  him  kindly  by  the  hand,  and  ques- 
tioned him  intelligently  about  his  reading.  It  was 
more  than  a  book  that  young  Greene  got  that  day, 
for  he  got  himself  a  friend,  —  one  who  had  read 
many  books,  and  knew  the  human  heart,  and  loved 
knowledge  in  all  her  manifold  forms.  Not  many 
years  afterwards  that  clergyman  became  the  head 
of  Yale  College,  and,  as  President  Stiles,  labored 
sedulously  to  the  close  of  a  long  life  in  moulding 
the  hearts  and  minds  of  ingenuous  youth.  But  of 
the  hundreds  who  went  out  into  the  world  with  his 
mark  upon  them,  there  was  not  one  who  laid  his 
lessons  more  fruitfully  to  heart  than  the  Quaker 
boy  whom  he  first  taught  what  books  to  buy. 
Nor  among  the  many  good  deeds  that  he  did,  and 
wise  counsels  that  he  gave,  was  there  one  more 
fraught  with  important  consequences  to  the  free- 
dom and  prosperity  of  his  country  than  the  work 
of  spontaneous  kindness  which  he  performed  that 
day. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Greene's  Studies.  —  New  Acquaintances.  —  Lindley  Murray.  —  Visit 
to  New  York.  —  John  Jay.  —  Inoculation.  —  Family  Lawsuit.  — 
Greene  reads  Law  Books.  —  Growth  of  Mind.  —  Personal  Appear- 
ance. —  Manners  and  Habits. 

ri^HE  first  fruit  of  Stiles's  friendship  was  a  knowl- 
-■-  edge  of  Locke  on  the  Understanding, — ^the 
text-book  of  every  Englishman  of  that  day  who 
undertook  to  study  the  laws  of  mental  action.  It 
came  to  Greene  just  when  he  was  prepared  for  it 
by  the  eager  gropings  of  his  own  mind ;  and, 
following  close  upon  Euclid,  gave  additional  force 
to  those  lessons  of  rigorous  demonstration  and  con- 
nected reasoning  which  are  the  best  fruits  of  a 
careful  study  of  the  great  geometer.  It  opened 
also  a  new  and  wider  field  of  inquiry,  and  pre- 
pared him  for  entering  with  keener  relish  upon  the 
investigation  of  moral  and  political  truth.  Watts's 
Logic  was  another  of  the  works  to  which  he  was 
deeply  indebted  at  this  period ;  and  good  old  Rol- 
lin,  still  preserving  in  his  diffuseness  the  pure  spirit 
of  classic  antiquity,  was  his  first  guide  in  history 
and  polite  literature.  In  English,  Swift  became 
his  model,  particularly  the  Drapier's  Letters,  al- 
though I  do  not  find  any  proof  that  he  ever 
thought  of  applying  to  the  study  of  them   that 


22  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

happy  method  by  which  FrankHn  learnt  to  infuse 
into  his  own  style  so  much  of  the  graceful  simpli- 
city and  idiomatic  elegance  of  his  chosdh  master, 
Addison.^ 

Thus  his  mind  grew  apace.  Books  became  his 
favorite  companions  ;  knowledge  for  her  own  sake 
his  highest  ambition.  But  no  thought  of  a  change 
of  occupation  seems  ever  to  have  disturbed  the 
serenity  of  his  daily  task.  He  was  born  to  the 
plough  and  anvil,  and  that  share  in  public  life  which 
most  Colonists  took  and  some  member  of  his  family 
had  always  taken,  and  was  content  to  remain  where 
fortune  had  placed  him.  His  only  complaint  was, 
"  I  feel  the  mists  of  ignorance  to  surround  me  " ; 
and  all  that  he  asked  of  his  books,  that  they  should 
help  him  to  break  through  these  mists.    . 

The  acquaintance  of  Dr.  Stiles  brought  him  in- 
to contact  with  men  of  cultivation,  giving  him 
glimpses  of  a  refinement  towards  which  he  felt 
himself  irresistibly  attracted,  and  showing  him 
how  much  sweeter  the  intercourse  of  friends  be- 
comes when  elevated  by  the  love  of  letters. 
Another  new  acquaintance,  formed,  like  the  first, 
in  one  of  his  trips  to  Newport,  but  nearer  to  him  in 
age,  and,  like  himself,  a  Quaker  by  birth  and  edu- 
cation, was  Lindley  Murray,  —  the  future  gramma- 
rian of  three  generations  of  ungrateful  school-boys. 
From  him  Greene  learnt  much  that  he  could  hardly 
have  learnt  to  the  same  advantao-e  from  an  older 
person ;  discussing  the  books  that  he  had  read  as 

1  See  Sparks's  Franklin,  Vol.  I.  p.  18. 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  2 


o 


boy  talks  with  boy,  and  looking  up  to  him  with 
that  blending  of  faith  and  emulation  which  only 
boys,  and  girls  can  feel.  Grammar,  however,  if  we 
are  to  judge  by  the  apparent  unconsciousness  with 
which  Greene  makes  a  plural  noun  the  nominative 
of  a  singular  verb,  can  hardly  have  yet  taken  the 
place  in  the  rriind  of  his  friend  which  it  was  soon 
to  take  and  to  hold  through  life.  Murray's  present 
ambition  was  to  become  a  lawyer,  and  his  good 
fortune  led  him  to  study  law  in  the  same  office  with 
John  Jay.  May  not  Greene,  in  some  of  his  visits 
to  him  in  New  York,  have  met  in  his  society,  as  a 
young  lawyer  just  welcoming  his  first  brief,  the 
man  whom  a  few  years  later  he  was  to  address  from 
camp  as  President  of  the  Congress  from  which  he 
held  his  commission  ? 

Of  these  visits  to  New  York,  however,  only  one 
positive  record  remains.  The  small-pox  was  still 
the  scourge  of  all  classes,  in  spite  of  inoculation, 
which  thousands  either  rejected  as  useless,  or  con- 
demned as  rebellion  asrainst  the  will  of  God. 
Massachusetts  had  rejected  it  on  its  first  introduc- 
tion, and  it  was  only  by  the  refusal  of  the  Council 
to  confirm  the  vote  of  the  Representatives,  that 
the  courageous  Boylston  was  enabled  to  continue 
the  practice  of  it.  The  Rhode  Island  Assembly 
rejected  it  as  late  as  1772,  in  spite  of  the  exertions 
of  its  most  intelliarent  members.  Findino;  the  dis- 
ease  in  New  York,  Greene  had  himself  inoculated, 
and,  passing  through  it  without  any  other  perma- 
nent mark  than  a  slight  blemish  in  the  right  eye, 


24  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

which  in  no  way  impaired  the  distinctness  of  his 
sight,  won  for  himself  a  sense  of  personal  security 
which  nothing  else  could  have  given,  and  the  im- 
portance of  which  made  itself  felt  in  the  very  first 
year  of  the  war.  We  shall  find  him  one  of  the 
earliest  and  most  constant  advocates  of  the  inocu- 
lation of  the  army. 

About  this  time  [1760]  the  death  of  his  two 
half-brothers  brought  a  lawsuit  into  the  family. 
The  principles  which  it  involved  were  so  intricate, 
that  it  was  sent  to  England  by  appeal.  And  here, 
too,  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  another  distinctive  trait 
of  Greene's  character ;  for  being  intrusted  by  his 
father  with  the  management  of  the  case  as  far  as 
the  collecting  of  evidence  and  conferences  with 
lawyers  were  concerned,  he  procured  himself  a 
Jacob's  Law  Dictionary  and  made  himself  master 
of  its  contents.  A  few  years  later  Blackstone  also 
was  welcomed  to  his  shelves  with  as  pure  a  joy  as 
Gibbon  felt  when,  at  nearly  the  same  age,  and  not 
far  from  the  same  time,  he  "  exchanged  a  bank-note 
of  twenty  pounds  for  the  twenty  volumes  of  the 
Memoirs  of  the  Academy  of  Inscriptions."  ^  An- 
other consequence  of  the  lawsuit,  and  for  his  fu- 
ture career  by  no  means  the  least  important,  was 
the  acquaintance  that  he  formed  with  members  of 
the  bench  and  the  bar,  whom  he  soon  began  to  as- 
sociate with  upon  the  footing  of  one  who  has  some- 
thing to  teach,  as  well  as  a  great  deal  to  learn. 

And  thus  he  grew  up  to  manhood,  laying  deeper 

1  Miscellaneous  Works  of  Edward  Gibbon,  (4to  ed.,)  Vol.  I.  p.  84. 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.iEL    GREENE.  25 

foundations  than  he  knew  of;  a  cheerful,  vigorous, 
thoughtful  young  man,  foremost  in  all  the  labors 
of  the  forge,  the  farm,  and  the  mill ;  foremost  also 
in  feats  of  strength  and  skill ;  fond  of  the  society 
of  females,  who  "  never  felt  lonely  where  he  was, 
for  he  always  knew  how  to  entertain  them  "  ;^  fond 
of  the  society  of  cultivated  men ;  a  great  lover  of 
books;  a  curious  inquirer  into  the  reasons  and 
causes  of  things ;  a  subtile  scrutinizer  of  men  and 
their  actions ;  a  thoughtful  observer  of  Nature,  and 
keenly  alive  to  her  genial  influences ;  fonder  of 
listening  than  of  talking,  where  there  was  anything 
to  be  learned ;  with  no  ambition  beyond  the  pos- 
session of  a  comfortable  home,  and  fortune  enough 
to  enable  him  to  buy  books  and  command  a  few 
leisure  hours  to  read  them  in ;  a  man,  in  short,  to 
puzzle  the  staid  elders  who  sat  on  the  high  seats 
in  the  meeting-house,  and  even  to  make  his  pious 
father  sometimes  doubt  the  fulfilment  of  the  proph- 
ecy with  which  astrology-loving  Dr.  Spencer  had 
announced  his  birth  as  of  one  that  was  to  be  "  a 
great  man  in  Israel." 

His  health  was  good,  and  both  by  constitution 
and  habit  he  was  capable  of  bearing  exposure  and 
fatigue.  A  few  years  later  the  asthma  came  to 
harass  him  with  sleepless  nights.  Though  not 
over  five  feet  ten  in  height,  he  was  strongly  built, 
with  broad  shoulders,  a  full  chest,  and  vigorous 
limbs.  In  his  right  knee  there  was  a  slight  stiff- 
ness, enough,  it  would   seem,   by  the   manner  in 

^  Words  used  by  an  old  lady  who  knew  Greene  to  Mr.  Rousmanier. 


26  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREE>T;.  [1742-1775. 

which  it  is  mentioned,  to  be  seen  in  his  gait,  but 
not  enough  to  prevent  him  from  running,  and  jump- 
ing, and  wrestHng  with  the  strongest  and  most 
active  of  his  companions.^  His  face  was  a  well- 
filled  oval,  with  all  the  features  clearly  defined, 
though  none  of  them,  except,  perhaps,  the  fore- 
head, large  enough  to  arrest  the  attention  at  a  first 
glance.  As  you  looked  more  closely  you  would  be 
struck  by  the  prominence  of  the  lower  part  of  the 
brow,  that  part  just  over  the  eyes,  where  phrenolo- 
gists place  the  organ  of  locality.  The  eyes  them- 
selves were  of  a  clear,  liquid  blue,  which  kindled 
under  excitement  to  an  intense  and  flashino;  liu-ht.^ 
His  nose  was  rather  Grecian  than  Eoman,  and  such 
as  the  sculptor  of  a  strong,  manly  face  loves  to 
chisel,  the  outline  clear  from  the  root  downward, 
and  the  nostrils  slightly  expanding  into  an  ex- 
pression of  prompt  and  vigorous  decision.  The 
mouth,  too,  with  its  deep-set  corners  and  full  lips, 
told  of  quick,  firm  utterances  and  a  strong  will ; 
but  it  told  of  tenderness  also,  and  the  power  of 
keen  enjoyment.  The  chin,  full,  rounded,  and 
double,  told  the  same  story,  giving  a  dash  of  every- 
day humanity  to  an  expression  which,  if  derived 
from  the  eyes  alone,  would  have  been  an  expression 
of  pure  intellect.  For  as  you  look  at  the  eyes 
they  seem  to   be  lambent  Avith  a  combined  light, 

1  See  Stone's  Howlanfl,  p.  40.  whose  name  will  often  recur  in  these 

2  Lest  the  reader  should  tax  me  pages,  and  whose  statements  no  one 
with  exafrgeration,  I  hasten  to  add  who  knew  him  would  venture  to  call 
that  this  peculiarity  was  told  me  by  in  question. 

my   uncle,   Colonel   Samuel   Ward, 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  27 

partly  from  within  and  partly  from  without,  as  of 
a  soul  alternately  questioning  itself  and  the  world 
that  surrounds  it.  But  as  you  look  at  the  mouth 
you  detect,  under  the  possibility  of  stern  compres- 
sion, the  possibility  of  joyous  sensation  and  lively 
sallies  of  humor.  Indeed,  this  humor  formed  one 
of  the  most  vivid  recollections  of  those  who  had 
known  him  in  the  intimacy  of  domestic  life  ;  and 
his  brothers,  to  the  day  of  their  death,  could  never 
mention  Tristram  Shandy  without  dilating  upon 
the  exquisite  comicality  of  his  impersonation  of 
Dr.  Slop. 

His  bearing  was  that  of  dignified  self-possession, 
rather  than  of  ease  and  grace.  Indeed,  the  grace 
which  the  intercourse  of  polished  society  gives,  he 
had  no  means  of  learning ;  and  still  less  the  grace 
of  the  dancing-school ;  for  his  dancing,  well  as  he 
loved  it,  was  such  as  country  boys  and  girls  learn 
from  some  older  companion  or  chance  teacher,  and 
practise  with  more  vigor  than  skill.  "  You  dance 
stiffly,"  said  a  partner  to  him  once,  rallying  him 
upon  the  halt  in  his  right  leg.  "  Very  true,"  he 
replied,  "  but  you  see  that  I  dance  strong."  But 
going  into  the  world  with  a  consciousness  of  many 
disadvantages  to  overcome,  he  became  a  close  ob- 
server, never  failing  to  turn  to  account  every  op- 
portunity of  making  an  acquisition  or  correcting 
a  defect. 

His  temper  was  naturally  impetuous,  for  he  was 
of  a  bilious,  nervous  temperament,  but  it  was 
brought  under  early  control,  and  he  bore  among 


28  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

his  companions  the  reputation  of  a  genial  man, 
thoiif?h  a  firm  and  resolute  one.  Deliberate  in 
forming  his  opinions  where  circumstances  admitted 
of  deUberation,  he  was  never  imduly  tenacious  of 
them,  nor  arrogant  in  enforcing  them,  but  always 
ready  to  listen  to  objections,  and  yield  to  them  if 
well  founded. 

It  is  not  an  easy  thing  to  go  back  to  the  boy- 
hood of  a  great  man,  and  distinguish  the  steps  by 
which  he  grew  up  in  mind  and  character.  And 
even  of  those  who  knew  him  best  there  are  few 
who  are  not  ready  to  fancy  that  they  had  already 
discovered  in  his  youth  the  indications  of  all  that 
he  became  in  manhood.  Still  the  intellectual 
tastes,  the  resolute  perseverance,  and  the  system- 
atic industry  which  characterized  Greene's  public 
life  were  undoubtedly  formed  long  before  he  be- 
came a  public  man  ;  and  the  administrative  car 
pacity  which  he  displayed  in  the  Quartermaster- 
General's  department  was  but  the  extension  to  a 
larger  field  of  the  sound  judgment  and  rigorous 
method  with  which  he  conducted  the  humbler  in- 
terests of  the  Hirms  and  forges  of  Potowomut  and 
Coventry. 


CHAPTER    III. 

Potowomut.  —  Tbe  Farm.  —  The  Forge  and  Mills.  —  Coventry.  — 
Whence  the  Iron  for  the  Forge  came.  —  From  Potowomut  to  Coven- 
try. —  The  New  House.  —  Greene  among  his  Neighbors.  —  David 
Howell. 

THE   soil   of  Potowomut   was   light   and   thin, 
yielding    enough    for    the   family  table,  but 
adding  little  to  the  family  purse.     This,  however, 
was  not  the  elder  Greene's  only  farm,  for  he  had 
made  large  investments  in  land  in  different  parts 
of  the  State,  and  was  as  deeply  interested  in  agri- 
culture as  in  manufactures.     But  the  agriculture 
of  those  days  was,  even  in  its  best  forms,  little 
better  than  a  mere  routine ;  the  son  still  holding 
tenaciously  to  the  methods  of  the  grandfather,  as 
they  came  down  to  him  unchanged  in  the  lessons  of 
his  father.     If  books  were  consulted  at  all,  English 
literature  in  young  Greene's  boyhood  had  nothing 
better  than  the  "  Book  of  Husbandry "  and  Tuji- 
per's  "  Five  Hundred  Points,"  and  a  few  others  of 
almost  equal  antiquity.     Elliot's  "  Field  Husbandry 
in  New  England "  was   not  pubhshed  till   1760 ; 
Arthur  Young  had  not  yet  begun  the  observations 
and  reports  which  stimulated  Washington's  agri- 
cultural instincts  so  keenly ;  and  many  years  were 
yet  to  pass  before  chemistry,  analyzing  soils  and 


30  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

plants  and  manures,  should  reveal  the  prolific  law 
of  the  constant  circulation  of  matter  and  force. 
And  thus  in  agriculture  the  elder  Greene  had  but 
little  to  teach  his  sons  beyond  what  he  had  learnt 
from  his  father. 

But  the  forge  and  mills  gave  very  different 
returns ;  and  when  we  remember  how  England 
looked  askance  upon  the  manufacturing  industry 
of  the  Colonies,  these  early  efforts  of  Rhode  Island 
industry  acquire  something  of  the  importance  of 
general  history.  Jabez  Greene,  grandson  of  the 
first  John  Greene,  was  the  original  settler  of  Poto- 
w^omut,  and  Thomas  Hill  was  an  original  partner 
in  the  mills.  As  early,  however,  as  1740,  two 
years  before  the  birth  of  the  third  Nathanael,  the 
whole  property  passed  into  the  hands  of  the 
Greenes.  Meanwhile  this  branch  of  the  family 
had  become  Quakers,  and  the  peaceful  doctrines  of 
George  Fox,  and  the  peaceful  industries  of  the 
forge  and  the  mill,  seem  to  have  taken  possession 
of  the  "Place  of  all  the  Fires"  simultaneously. 
The  pure  spirit  of  brotherly  love  seems  to  have 
come  with  them. 

Jabez  Greene  died  without  making  a  will,  al- 
thousrh  he  had  declared  his  intention  of  making: 
one,  and  told  his  eldest  son,  James,  that  he  meant 
to  divide  his  estate  equally  among  his  children. 
By  the  laws  of  Rhode  Island  James  became  sole 
heir,  and  the  first  use  that  he  made  of  his  indepen- 
dent control  of  the  property  was  to  carry  out  his 
father  s  design  and  divide  it  with  his  brothers.    And 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATR.1NAEL    GREENE.  31 

thus  the  property  was  held  and  improved  in  com- 
mon by  the  six  sons  of  Jabez,  of  whom  Nathanael, 
the  preacher,  was  the  fourth.  Already,  in  1743, 
the  forge,  store,  and  merchandise  were  valued  at 
£8,055,  with  £2,408  of  uncollected  debts.  The 
chief  care  of  the  works  seems  gradually  to  have 
devolved  upon  Nathanael,  and  when  hjs  sons  grew 
to  man's  estate  they  were  admitted  to  the  business 
as  partners. 

This  business,  if  we  take  into  consideration  the 
meagre  supply  market  and  difficult  communications 
of  those  days,  was  sufficiently  extensive  to  require 
no  ordinary  share  of  commercial  as  well  as  of  pro- 
ductive talent.  The  wheat  was  brought  from  A^'ir- 
ginia  in  vessels  owned  or  chartered  by  the  firm, 
and  the  flour  sent  to  Newport  and  Providence,  the 
principal  markets  of  the  Colony.  The  coal  came 
from  Virginia  also,  and  the  best  iron  from  Pennsyl- 
vania. Of  all  these  a  constant  and  regular  supply 
was  required.  Merchandise  was  also  needed  for 
the  store,  —  country  goods,  such  as  workingmen 
and  their  families  used,  —  and  of  these  a  full  pro- 
vision was  kept  constantly  on  hand.  Then  the 
anchors  were  to  be  sent  to  market,  and  the  pro- 
ceeds of  all  these  various  industries  collected  and 
put  to  use.  What  with  his  duties  as  a  preacher, 
and  his  cares  as  a  merchant,  manufacturer,  and 
farmer,  Nathanael  Greene  was  a  very  busy  man. 

The  grist-mill  was  a  frame  building  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  river,  a  few  yards  below  the  dam, 
duly  provided  with  all  the  necessary  aj)paratus  for 


32  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

makino;  meal  and  flonr.  The  constant  whir  of  the 
millstone  and  jar  of  the  hopper,  mingling  with  the 
gm'gle  of  the  water  as  it  rushed  through  the  gate, 
and  its  deeper  roar  as  it  dashed  over  the  dam, 
made  it  a  difficult  place  to  talk  in,  though,  as 
young  Nathanael  grew  up,  it  became  one  of  his 
favorite  places  for  study.  For  many  years  it  was 
the  onlv  mill  in  the  neis-liborhood,  and  through 
the  whole  of  the  first  quarter  of  the  present  cen- 
tury farmers  and  farmers'  boys  still  continued  to 
ride  thither  from  a  wide  circuit  round,  \\^th  their 
bag  of  corn  slung  over  their  horse's  back,  to  have 
it  ground  under  the  eye  of  the  two  last  survivors 
of  the  two  generations  of  brothers.  And  it  is  not 
uninteresting  to  know,  as  we  trace  the  connec- 
tions of  civilization,  that  the  second  flour-mill  that 
was  ever  constructed  in  Chili  was  constructed  by 
Samuel  Ward  Greene,  the  fourth  son  of  the  young- 
er of  those  two  brothers.  Thus  the  knowledge 
that  was  acquired  on  the  banks  of  the  Potowomut 
helped  to  free  fertile  Chili  from  her  dependence 
upon  a  foreign  market  for  the  most  essential  ar- 
ticle of  daily  food ;  mysterious  link  in  the  subtile 
chain  which  binds  remote  lands  and  difterent  races 
toQ-ether. 

Close  by  the  side  of  the  mill,  but  on  lower 
ground,  was  the  forge,  —  a  larger  building,  with  a 
broad  shingle  roof  coming  down  so  near  to  the 
ground  on  the  west  side  that  it  was  easy  to  get  on 
it  and  play.  Two  broad  doors  opened  upon  the 
river-bank,  where  the    sloop  lay  as  at  a  natural 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  33 

wharf.  Within  were  three  separate  forges,  each 
with  its  own  anvil,  its  own  chimney,  and  its 
own  huge  bellows.  The  anchor  anvil  stood  in 
the  middle,  directly  nnder  a  great  trip-hammer, 
which,  as  it  dealt  its  sharp,  quick  blows,  ris- 
ing; and  falling:  with  the  turnino^  of  the  wheel,  — 
wheel  and  water  both  unseen,  but  sending  forth  a 
whirring  and  gurgling  sound  from  behind  the  dark 
screen  of  the  eastern  wall,  —  had,  as  I  well  remem- 
ber, something  of  wonder  and  of  mystery  in  it  to 
the  eye  and  ear  of  childhood.  A  small  forge  was 
reserved  for  the  common  work  of  a  blacksmith's 
shop. 

The  two  banks  of  the  river  were  connected  by  a 
bridge  just  below  the  dam;  and  there,  when  the 
day's  work  was  done,  the  boys  loved  to  take  their 
stand,  and  fish  for  eels  in  the  dark  water  below. 

The  house,  a  plain  wooden  edifice,  low  in  the 
ceilings,  like  most  of  the  houses  of  early  colonial 
days,  but  substantially  built,  and  well  adapted  to 
the  modes  of  life  of  a  large  Quaker  family,  stood 
almost  within  stone's  throw  of  the  forge,  upon  the 
brow  of  a  small  hill,  up  and  down  whose  easy 
slope  the  boys  used  to  indulge  in  many  a  frolic 
on  their  way  to  and  from  their  work,  not  always, 
as  they  grew  warm  in  their  game,  distinguishing 
their  father  from  an  elder  brother. 

About  a  year  before  the  birth  of  General  Greene 
the  six  brothers  had  built  another  forge  on  the 
Pawtucket  Kiver,  in  the  township  of  Coventry, 
where  they  had  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land. 


o 


4  LIFE   OF   NATIL\N.iEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 


Here,  too,  was  a  fine  stream  of  water  to  set  their 
simple  machinery  agoing,  and  a  fine  hill  —  the 
rocky  water-shed  which  holds  the  north  and  south 
branches  of  the  Pawtucket  apart — to  build  on.  It 
was  not  till  many  years  later  that  the  building-site 
was  used ;  but  so  well  was  the  water-power  turned 
to  account,  that,  on  the  death  of  Jabez,  in  1753,  his 
quarter  was  estimated  at  £865.  By  1768  over  a 
hundred  families  had  gathered  around  Greene's 
forge  as  their  home.-^ 

The  iron  used  in  these  works  was  all  American 
iron.  The  refined  iron  was  brought  chiefly  from 
Pennsylvania  by  Apponaug,  then  a  flourishing 
little  seaport  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Coweset 
or  Greenwich  Bay,  though  scarcely  ever  visited 
now  by  anything  but  a  lumberman  from  Maine  or 
a  collier  from  Pennsylvania.  The  rough  ore  came 
in  part  from  the  iron-beds  in  the  adjacent  town 
of  Cranston,  and  was  carted  by  farmers  in  their  ox- 
carts to  be  smelted,  with  the  help  of  black  sand 
from  Block  Island,  in  the  smelting-furnace  which 
formed  part  of  the  works.  Some  of  it  was  bog- 
iron  from  the  neighboring  swamps,  and  some  was 
obtained  by  dragging  the  fresh-water  ponds,  which 
are  spread  like  a  net  all  over  the  western  sections 
of  the  State.  What  use  was  made  of  Elliot's  dis- 
covery of  "  the  art  of  producing  malleable  iron 
from  the  black  sea  sand  "  I  have  not  been  able  to 
ascertain.^ 

^  I  have  to  thank  for  some  of  these  Pawtucket,  made  a  careful  examina- 

details  the  lion.  Henry  Rousmanicr,  tion  of  the  Warwick  Records, 

of  Centre  villc,  who,  in  preparing  his  *  See  Holmes's  Annals  of  America, 

valuable  sketches  of  the  valley  of  the  Vol.  II.  p.  123. 


1742-1775.]  LIFE   OF  NATHANAEL   GREENE.  35 

"When  the  work  was  done,  the  anchors  had  to  be 
carried  to  Apponaug  in  carts,  and  thence  by  water 
to  Newport,  the  principal  market  for  naval  stores, 
and  the  great  seaport  of  the  colony.  So  well  did 
the  reputation  of  the  Potowomut  and  Coventry 
works  become  established,  that,  more  than  half  a 
century  from  their  foundation,  when  the  father  of 
Commodore  Perry  lay  at  Newport  in  command  of 
the  "  General  Greene,"  he  sent  to  the  Greene  forge 
for  his  anchors ;  but  so  effacing  are  the  habits  of 
American  life,  that  you  may  now  go  from  door  to 
door  all  through  Coventry,  and  scarcely  find  a 
man  who  can  tell  you  where  they  stood.  Local  cir- 
cumstances have  preserved  somewhat  better  the 
recollection  of  the  forge  and  mill  at  Potowomut. 
But,  with  the  exception  of  the  dam,  all  traces  of 
those  also  have  been  swept  away  within  my  own 
remembrance. 

The  distance  between  the  two  works  was  about 
ten  miles,  by  a  rough  but  pleasant  road  through 
green  lanes,  bordered  in  many  parts  by  thick 
woods  of  walnut  and  oak,  in  some  by  lower 
growths  of  cedar ;  opening  on  the  highest  ridges 
upon  a  rich  foreground  of  forest,  and  a  broad  back- 
ground of  water  and  islands ;  the  bright  waters 
and  green  islands  of  Narragansett  Bay,  —  green 
then,  for  the  ruthless  hand  of  war  had  not  yet 
stripped  them  of  their  sheltering  trees.  At  the  bot- 
tom of  the  valleys,  the  road  ran  along  the  pebbly 
margin  of  a  fresh-water  pond,  or  crossed  the  course 
of  a  brawling  rivulet,  —  ponds  and  brooks  over 


36  LIFE    OF   NATH.VNAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

^vliose  fringed  waters  old  Walton  would  have 
hung  in  dreamy  ecstasy  throughout  the  long  sum- 
mer day.  Over  this  road,  to  and  fro,  one  of  the 
partners  had  to  pass  in  almost  daily  rides ;  and  it 
was  a  pleasant  thought  for  the  fither,  as  years 
thickened  upon  him,  that  he  had  such  a  sturd}'- 
band  of  sons  at  his  call.  But  already  his  chief 
reliance  was  the  son  who  bore  his  own  name ;  and 
thus  in  1770,  when  it  was  decided  that  one  of 
them  should  go  and  live  at  Coventry,  the  choice 
naturally  fell  upon  him. 

The  removal  to  Coventry  was  a  great  event  in 
this  uniform  though  busy  life.  From  childhood  that 
son  had  lived  under  the  same  roof  with  his  father 
and  brothers,  and  now,  in  his  twenty-ninth  year,  he 
was  to  build  himself  a  house  apart.  We  shall  see 
by  and  by  how  his  heart  still  clung  to  Potowomut. 
For  his  building-site  he  chose  a  spot  on  the  hill- 
side, sheltered  on  the  west  by  a  natural  wood, 
which  still  covered  the  brow  of  the  hill ;  sloping 
in  front,  like  a  green  terrace,  down  to  the  brink 
of  the  river,  and  looking  out  over  a  broad  belt  of 
woodland  towards  Coweset  Bay.  From  the  tojD  of 
the  hill  the  eye  reached  the  graceful  curve  and 
sparkling  waters  of  the  bay  itself,  which  seems 
to  shrink  with  a  coy  smile  from  the  outstretched 
arms  of  Potowomut,  and  nestle  securely  under  the 
bald  headland  of  AVarwick  Neck.  The  house  was  a 
neat  two-story  building,  with  four  rooms  on  each 
floor,  divided  by  a  wide  entry,  and  on  the  exterior 
something  of  an   air  of  architecture,  which   still 


1742-1775.]  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  37 

pleases,  if  it  does  not  satisfy,  the  eye.  It  was  a 
great  step  in  advance,  both  outside  and  in,  of  the 
old  homestead  at  Potowomut. 

Greene  was  soon  settled,  and  his  days  resumed 
their  even  tenor.  He  was  often  in  the  saddle, 
making  all  his  land  journeys  on  horseback,  —  an 
unconscious  preparation  for  the  future,  —  and  a 
mode  of  travelling  to  which  his  love  of  animals 
gave  a  peculiar  zest.  "  His  first  visit,  after  an  ab- 
sence from  home,"  says  one  who  w^as  often  in  the 
family,  "  was  always  to  the  stable."  ^  To  Newport, 
instead  of  the  old  route  by  Potowomut  River,  he 
would  go  by  a  sloop  from  Greenwich ;  sometimes, 
as  a  well-authenticated  tradition  attests,  timing  his 
movements  so  as  to  meet  a  party  of  friends  at 
Hope,  —  a  small  rocky  island  half-way  down  the 
bay,  —  and  pass  the  evening  there  in  dancing. 
Thus  much  of  his  life  was  still  an  out-of-doors 
life,  bringing  him  into  constant  contact  with 
men,  and  almost  always  as  a  controller  of  their 
actions.  Sometimes,  when  he  found  himself  sin- 
gled out  for  an  invitation  while  others  of  "  equal 
claims "  w^ere  passed  by,  he  would  turn  the  cir- 
cumstance over  in  his  mind  with  a  kind  of  pleased 
surprise,  and  be  "  almost  persuaded  that  he  was  a 
person  of  some  importance."-  Nor  was  he  the  only 
one  that  thought  so.  "Mr.  Greene  is  a  very  re- 
markable man,"  said  David  Howell,  then  a  tutor  in 
Ehode  Island  College,  but  distinguished  in  later 
life  at  the  bar,  on  the  bench,  and  in  Congress,  and 

1  Communicated  by  Mr.  Rousmanier. 


o 


8  LIFE    OF    NATHAJfAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 


who  had  ridden  down  to  Coventry  over  night  to 
borrow  a  book  of  him.  It  was  not  every  day  that 
either  of  them  found  such  a  man  to  talk  with,  and 
the  conversation  naturally  ran  on  till  late  in  the 
evening.  Great  was  Howell's  surprise,  when  he 
came  down  next  morning  before  daylight,  to  make 
sure  of  reaching  home  in  time  for  his  recitation, 
to  find  Greene  up  before  him,  and  "poring  over 
a  book  by  the  fire."  And  as  a  proof  of  the  delicacy 
of  Greene's  hospitality  I  will  add,  that  when  on 
parting  for  the  night  his  guest  had  apologized  for 
the  necessity  he  should  be  under  of  leaving  too 
early  in  the  morning  to  bid  him  good  by,  he 
made  no  offer  of  breakfast,  but  when  morning 
came  the  table  was  found  set,  and  the  breakfast 
ready. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Death  of  Greene's  Father.  —  Greene  a  Voter.  —  First  Steps  in  Public 
Life.  —  First  Political  Letter.  —  In  the  Assembly.  —  Gasper.  — 
Takes  his  Stand.  —  William  Greene  of  Warwick.  —  Henry  Mar- 
chant.  —  Progress  of  the  Revolution.  —  Greene's  Opinion  of  Gov- 
ernor Ward  as  Deleorate  to  Conorress.  —  Militia  Laws  Revised.  — 
Kentish  Guards.  —  James  M.  Varnum.  —  Christopher  Greene.  — 
Letter  to  Varnum. —  Trip  to  Boston  to  buy  a  Musket. 

IVrOT  long  after  his  removal  to  Coventry  his 
-*-  ^  father  died ;  "  an  event,"  he  writes,  "  which 
turned  all  our  affairs  into  different  channels,  that 
made  it  requisite  for  me  to  give  the  closest  appli- 
cation and  attention  to  the  settlement  of  matters." 
Still,  no  material  change  was  made  by  it  in  the 
business  relations  of  the  brothers ;  and  everything 
continued  to  go  on,  as  of  old,  in  the  name  of  the 
whole  family.  All  had  been  trained  to  work  with 
the  feeling  that  in  working  for  their  father  they 
were  working  for  themselves;  and,  when  the  estate 
passed  into  their  hands,  they  were  prepared  to 
share  equally  in  its  duties  and  profits. 

In  Rhode  Island  the  right  of  suffrage,  except  for 
the  eldest  son  of  a  freeholder,  was  founded  upon 
the  possession  of  real  estate  of  the  value  of  forty 
pounds  sterling.  Nathanael's  half-brother  Thomas, 
who  died  in   17G0,  had  given  him  an  estate  in 


40  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

West  Greenwich,  and  upon  this  he  was  admitted  a 
freeman  in  Warwick  in  April,  1765 ;  making,  as  a 
Quaker,  his  "  solemn  affirmation "  to  the  protest 
against  "  bribery  and  corruption  "  which  the  law  of 
that  daj'-  prescribed.  Thus,  wdthin  a  month  after 
the  passage  of  the  Stamp  Act,  and  just  about  the 
time  when  his  future  opponent,  Cornwallis,  be- 
came a  ''  Lord  of  the  Bedchamber,"  Greene  be- 
came a  voter ;  little  dreaming  the  one  of  the 
other,  or  of  the  desperate  race  they  were  to  run, 
or  the  blood}^  field  on  which  they  w^ere  to  meet  in 
the  wilds  of  Carolina.  Three  years  later,  when 
the  non-importation  resolutions  of  1768  were  in- 
troduced, Greene  was  on  the  committee  for  can- 
vassing the  county  for  signatures  ;  and  within  the 
very  year  of  his  removal  to  Coventry  he  was 
chosen  to  represent  his  new  home  in  the  General 
Assembly.  His  earliest  public  act  in  this  new 
home  was  to  set  on  foot  a  movement  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  school. 

The  great  Rhode  Island  controversy  of  those 
days,  in  which  town  and  country  waged  war  upon 
each  other  under  the  names  of  Hopkins  and  Ward, 
until  the  original  cause  of  the  dispute  became 
merged  in  a  personal  contest  between  party  lead- 
ers, had  been  brought  to  an  end,  under  the  over- 
shadowing influence  of  the  impending  contest  with 
England,  two  years  before  he  entered  the  legis- 
lature. Family  ties  had  naturally  placed  him  in 
the  Ward  party,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  he 
took  an  active  part  in  the  dispute.    But  the  record 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  41 

of  his  political  career  is  too  imperfect  at  this  point 
to  permit  us  to  follow  his  first  steps  in  public 
life  as  closely  as  there  is  always  a  wish  to  do  when 
the  later  steps  became  so  important.  His  earliest 
political  letter  that  has  been  preserved  is  ad- 
dressed to  Moses  Brown  of  Providence,  and  turns 
upon  the  opposition  to  the  re-election  of  Judge 
Potter.  "I  should  be  remiss,"  he  writes,  "not  to 
give  you  timely  information  of  all  matters  that 
were  likely  to  concern  civil  polity  or  the  well-be- 
ing of  the  government,  and  in  an  especial  manner 
when  I  thought  you  would  be  likely  to  adopt  any 
plan  to  obviate  their  schemes.  I  know  not  for 
what  reason,  but  there  is  the  greatest  opposition 
forminsr  ao^ainst  Judo-e  Potter's  ensuins;  election 
that  I  ever  saw  in  my  life  against  any  representa- 
tive. His  conduct  and  mine  hath  been  almost 
uniformly  the  same  in  public  measures,  except  the 
affair  of  your  Bridge ;  and  they  have  not  the  least 
objection  to  my  going  again,  if  I  will  not  support 

the  Judge's  ensuing  election  so  zealously Was 

I  not  conscious  that  the  Judge  would  do  his  town 
and  the  government  better  service  than  any  other 
person  in  it,  I  would  not  be  so  strongly  attached 
to  his  interest  as  to  oppose  any  man  the  better 
sort  of  people  thought  worthy,  by  their  suffrage, 
to  represent  them  in  the  General  Assembly." 
The  interest  of  this  question  has  long  since  passed 
away  even  from  Rhode  Island  history ;  but  it  was 
a  question  which  called  into  play  the  power  of 
reading  character  and  controlling  men  of  one  of 


42  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

the  founders  of  a  great  nation,  and  thus  becomes 
a  part  of  the  world's  history. 

Of  course,  much  of  Greene's  attention  as  a  legis- 
lator was  given  to  local  details.  But  some  of  these 
local  details  involved  the  discussion  of  fundamental 
principles;  and  from  what  is  positively  known  of 
his  habits  of  mind,  we  may  reasonably  conclude 
that  these  discussions  became  for  him  the  occa- 
sions of  an  enlarged  and  careful  study.  When  the 
resolutions  of  1774  against  the  "  importation  of 
negroes"  were  passed,  he  was  not  a  member  of  the 
Assembly;  but  his  declaration  of  a  few  years 
later,  "As  for  slavery,  nothing  can  be  said  in  its 
defence,"  shows  what  his  vote  would  have  been. 
But  in  the  legislature  and  out  of  it  he  was  hence- 
forth a  public  man,  taking  an  active  interest,  even 
when  he  did  not  take  a  leading  part  in  public 
measures.  The  training  that  was  to  fit  him  for 
dealing  with  men,  and  bearing  great  resjDonsibili- 
ties,  was  begun. 

He  was  not  present  at  the  burning  of  the  "  Gas- 
per," although  a  local  tradition  makes  him  one  of 
the  leaders ;  ^  but  he  went  to  Providence  the  next 
day,  and,  as  he  rode  along,  must  have  seen  the 
smoke  floating  over  the  smouldering  hull,  as  two 
years  later  he  saw  it  floating  over  the  ruins  of 
Charlestown.  ^  Yet  his  name  was  mixed  up  with 
this  bold  enterprise  in  the  English  reports  of  it, 

1  Colonel  E.  Bowen,  who  was  pres-        2  Letter  to  S.  Ward,  Jr.,  January 
ent,  told  me  that  General  Greene  was     25,  1773. 
not. 


1742-1775.]  LIFE   OF  NATHANAEL    GREENE.  43 

and  in  this  offensive  connection  probably  first  met 
the  royal  eye,  which  it  was  soon  to  meet  still  more 
offensively.  When  the  "  new-fangled  court,"  as  he 
calls  it,  assembled  at  Newport  to  receive  informa- 
tion against  the  persons  suspected  of  taking  a  part 
in  the  destruction  of  the  royal  cutter,  he  con- 
demned it  as  "alarming  to  every  virtuous  mind 
and  lover  of  liberty  in  America."  He  condemns 
also  the  attitude  of  the  General  Assembly,  which 
"  seems  to  have  lost  all  that  spirit  of  independence 
and  public  virtue  that  has  ever  distinguished  them 
since  they  have  first  been  incorporated,  and  sunk 
down  into  a  tame  submission  and  entire  acquies- 
cence to  ministerial  mandates."  Already  his  views 
embraced  the  whole  country,  and  the  earliest  writr 
ten  expression  of  his  political  sentiments  implies 
Union :  "  If  this  court  and  mode  of  trial  is  estab- 
lished as  a  precedent,  it  will  naturally  affect  all  the 
other  colonies." 

It  is  easy  to  conceive  with  what  interest  he 
read  the  "  Farmers'  Letters,"  and  how  prominent 
a  place  he  gave  in  his  library  to  the  Dissertation 
on  the  Canon  and  Feudal  law,  and  Novanglus, 
and  the  Massachusetts  circular,  and  Otis's  Eights  of 
the  British  Colonies,  and  Quincy's  Observations  on 
the  Boston  Port  Bill,  and  the  other  tracts  of  that 
reasoning  period,  during  which  the  public  mind 
was  preparing  itself  for  open  resistance.  His  own 
mind  was  prepared  for  the  worst.  "  The  ministry 
seem  to  be  determined  to  imbrue  their  cursed 
hands  in  American  blood."  ^ 

1  To  S.  Ward,  Jr. 


44  LIFE   OF   NATH.\NAEL   GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

These  sentiments  brought  him  into  intimate  rela- 
tions with  the  popular  leaders.  "  I  spent  last  even- 
ing with  him  (Governor  Ward),  Mr.  Marchant,  and 
sundry  other  gentlemen,  at  your  uncle  Greene's,'' 
he  writes  Governor  Ward's  son,  Samuel,  January 
25,  1773.  Tliat  uncle  Greene  was  the  second 
William  of  the  Warwick  branch,  through  whom 
the  blood  of  the  first  John  Greene  was  mingled 
with  the  blood  of  Eoger  AVilliams  and  Samuel 
Gorton,  —  historical  names  all  of  them,  and  repre- 
sentatives of  prolific  ideas.  He,  too,  was  already  in 
public  life  as  associate  judge,  and  was  to  become 
chief  justice,  and,  in  a  very  critical  moment  of  the 
war,  governor.  The  Mr.  Marchant  was  Henry 
Marchant,  the  Attorney-General,  who  had  been 
sent  to  England  two  years  before  to  demand  the 
payment  of  the  old  war  debt,  and  who  was  in  four 
years  more  to  take  the  place  which  had  been  so 
well  filled  by  Samuel  Ward  in  Congress.  It  is 
easy  to  conceive  what  brought  such  men  together 
at  such  a  time. 

Nor  did  Greene  long  have  occasion  to  complain 
of  the  spirit  of  the  Assembly.  The  idea  of  a  Gen- 
eral Congress  as  a  means  of  obtaining  redress  had 
been  familiar  to  the  popular  mind  ever  since  the 
Congress  of  17G5,  and  must  have  been  so  often 
discussed  in  private  as  to  make  the  first  public  sug- 
gestion of  it  almost  a  matter  of  chance.  But  the 
first  official  action  was  that  of  a  town-meeting  in 
Providence  on  the  17th  of  May,  1774,  instructing 
their  "  Deputies  to  the  General  Assembly  "  to  use 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  45 

their  influence  for  promoting  a  Congress ;  -^  and  as 
an  augury  of  Union,  the  very  first  election  sent  the 
leaders  of  Ehode  Island's  two  great  parties  to  sit 
in  that  Congress  side  by  side,  and  take  counsel 
together  for  the  common  defence. 

Greene  felt  all  the  solemnity  of  this  act.  "Heaven 
bless  their  (the  Congresses')  consultations,"  he 
wrote  Samuel  Ward,  Jr., "with  her  seasoning  grace, 
and  crown  their  resolution  with  success  and  tri- 
umph ! "  The  choice  of  Governor  Ward  gave  him 
particular  pleasure.  "  The  mean  motives  of  in- 
terest, of  partial  distinction  of  ministers  of  state, 
will  have  no  influence  upon  his  virtuous  soul : 
like  Cato  of  old,  he  '11  stand  or  fall  with  the  lib- 
erties of  his  country." 

In  the  December  session,  although  not  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Assembly,  he  was  put  upon  "  a  commit- 
tee to  revise  the  militia  laws  of  the  Colony,"  and 
report  "  as  soon  as  may  be."  ^  Events  were  hasten- 
ing, and  his  part  becoming  daily  more  important. 
The  cannon  had  already  been  removed  from  Fort 
George.  The  resolution  to  proceed  immediately 
to  the  formation  of  a  public  magazine  of  powder, 
lead,  and  flints,  and  the  recommendation  "  to  all 
the  inhabitants  of  this  colony,  that  they  expend  no 
gunpowder  for  mere  sport  and  diversion,  and  in 
pursuit  of  game,"  and  the  act  in  pursuance  of  the 
report  of  the  committee  upon  militia  laws  provid- 
ing for  monthly  exercises  in  "  martial  discipline," 

1  Arnold  has  examined  this  subject         ~  Bartlet's  Rhode  Island  Records, 
with  his  usual  candor  and  good  sense     Vol.  VIII.  p.  262. 
in  the  second  volume  of  his  History 
of  Rhode  Island,  p.  334. 


46  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

and  for  the  manner  in  which  "  the  forces  within 
this  colony  sliall  march  to  the  assistance  of  any  of 
our  sister  colonies  when  invaded  or  attacked," 
close  ominously  the  last  year  of  colonial  peace. 
Of  all  these  preparations,  none  came  more  di- 
rectly home  to  his  personal  feelings  than  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Kentish  Guards,  an  independent 
company  for  East  Greenwich,  Warwick,  and  Coven- 
try, similar  in  object  and  plan  to  those  which  were 
organizing  all  over  the  country.  To  these  three 
towns  he  was  bound  by  peculiar  ties ;  having  been 
born  in  Warwick,  living  in  Coventry,  and  going, 
from  childhood,  every  week  to  meditate  in  silence 
or  listen  in  reverence  in  the  meeting-house  that 
stood  thoughtfully  amid  rows  of  uninscribed  graves 
on  the  bank  of  a  mill-pond  in  a  sweet  little  valley 
just  beyond  the  hill-top  of  Greenwich.  All  the 
members  of  this  company  were  his  neighbors  and 
acquaintances,  some  of  them  his  friends.  Among 
its  first  officers  were  James  Mitchel  Varnum,  a 
man  of  "exalted  talents,"  whom  he  "loved  and 
esteemed,"  who  was  to  take  an  honorable  place 
in  the  civil  and  military  history  of  the  Revolution  ; 
and  Christopher  Greene,  who  was  to  follow  Arnold 
to  Quebec,  defend  Red  Bank  against  Donop 
and  his  Hessians,  and  die,  sword  in  hand,  in  the 
flower  of  his  age,  victim  of  the  negligence  of  a 
militia  guard.  And  still,  as  the  war  went  on,  this 
little  nursery  of  gallant  men  sent  out  officers  to 
the  regular  army,  till  they  numbered  nearly  thirty 
in  all.      Nathanael  Greene  was  among  the   peti- 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  47 

tioners  for  a  charter,  which  was  granted  m  the 
October  session  of  1774.^ 

But  in  connection  with  the  Kentish  Guards 
there  was  a  mortification  in  store  for  Greene  for 
which  he  Avas  little  prepared.  He  had  entered  the 
company  as  a  private,  and  without  any  idea  of 
taking  a  commission.  But  this  some  of  his  friends 
would  not  consent  to,  and  by  dint  of  persuasion 
they  prevailed  upon  him  to  let  his  name  be 
brought  forward  for  a  lieutenancy.  But  they 
were  to  encounter  an  objection  which  none  of 
them  had  foreseen.  Greene's  stiff  knee  gave,  as 
we  have  already  seen,  a  limp  to  his  gait ;  and  in 
the  eyes  of  some  of  the  village  critics  this  limp, 
though  slight,  was  a  serious  blemish,  unfitting  him, 
not  merely  for  an  oflicer,  but  even  for  a  private. 
A  limping  soldier  in  ranks  like  theirs  !  Greene  was 
thunderstruck.  It  was  the  first  mortification  he 
had  ever  received,  and  he  took  it  sorely  to  heart. 
His  friends  were  indignant.  Varnum  threatened 
to  withdraw  his  name,  and  the  loss  of  Varnum's 
fine  person  and  popular  eloquence  would  have 
been  a  serious  blow  to  the  halforganized  com- 
pany. 

But  this  was  a  form  of  resentment  that  Greene 
could  not  accept,  and,  not  satisfied  with  having 
told  his  friend  by  word  of  mouth  how  he  thought 
and  felt  about  it,  he  returned  to  the  subject  in  a 
letter,  which,  happily  for  his  memory,  still  exists 

1  The  original  draft  of  the  charter     also    Khode    Island    Records,   Vol. 
is  among  the  Varnum  Papers.     See     VII.  p.  260. 


48  LIFE    OF   NATH/VNAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1755. 

in  his  own  hand,  to  show  how  firmly  he  ah-eady 
held  the  rein  of  his  passions,  and  how  early  he 
learned  to  subject  his  feelings  as  a  man  to  his  du- 
ty as  a  citizen.  And  thus  he  writes  from  Coventry, 
on  Monday,  2  o'clock,  P.  M. 

"  Dear  Sir  :  — 

"As  I  am  ambitious  of  maintaining  a  place  in  your 
esteem,  and  cannot  hope  to  do  it  if  I  discover  in  my 
actions  a  little  mind  and  a  mean  spirit,  I  think  in  justice 
to  myself  I  ought  to  acquaint  you  with  the  particulars  of 
the  subject  on  which  we  conversed  to-day.  I  was  in- 
formed the  gentlemen  of  East  Greenwich  said  that  I  was 
a  blemish  to  the  company.  I  confess  it  is  the  first  stroke 
of  mortification  I  ever  felt  from  being  considered,  cither 
in  private  or  public  life,  a  blemish  to  those  with  whom 
I  associated.  Hitherto  I  have  always  had  the  happiness 
to  find  myself  respected  in  society  in  general,  and  my 
friendship  courted  by  as  respectable  characters  as  any  in 
the  government.  Pleased  with  these  thoughts,  and  anx- 
ious to  promote  the  good  of  my  country,  and  ambitious 
of  increasing  the  consequence  of  East  Greenwich,  I  have 
exerted  myself  to  form  a  military  company  there  ;  but 
little  did  I  think  that  the  gentlemen  considered  me  in 
the  light  of  an  obtruder.  My  heart  is  too  susceptible  of 
pride,  and  my  sentiments  too  delicate,  to  wisli  a  con- 
nection where  I  am  considered  in  an  inferior  point  of 
light.  I  have  always  made  it  my  study  to  promote  the 
interest  of  Greenwicli,  and  to  cultivate  the  good  opinion 
of  its  inhabitants,  (so)  that  the  severity  of  the  speech,  and 
the  union  of  sentiment  coming  from  persons  so  unex- 
pected, might  wound  the  pride  of  my  heart  deeper  than 
the  force  of  the  observation  merited.  God  knows  when 
I  first  entered  this  company,  I  had  not  in  contemplation 


1742-1775.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  49 

any  kind  of  office,  but  was  fully  determined  not  to 
accept  any  ;  but  GrifF  and  others  has  been  endeavor- 
ing to  obtain  my  consent  for  some  weeks  past.  I 
never  expected  that  being  a  member  of  the  company 
would  give  me  any  more  consequence  in  life  either  as 
a  private  soldier  or  commissioned  officer.  I  thought 
the  cause  of  liberty  was  in  danger  ;  and  as  it  was  at- 
tackt  by  a  military  force,  it  was  necessary  to  cultivate  a 
military  spirit  amongst  the  people,  that,  should  tyranny 
endeavor  to  make  any  other  advances,  we  might  be  pre- 
pared to  check  it  in  its  first  sallies.  I  considered  with 
myself  that,  if  we  should  never  be  wanted  in  that  char- 
acter, it  would  form  a  pretty  little  society  in  our  meetings 
when  we  might  relax  ourselves  a  few  hours  from  the 
various  occupations  of  life,  and  return  to  our  business 
again  with  more  activity  and  spirit.  I  did  not  want  to 
add  any  new  consequence  to  myself  from  the  distinction 
of  that  company ;  if  I  had  been  ambitious  of  promotion 
in  a  public  character,  you  yourself  can  witness  for  me  I 
have  had  it  in  my  power,  but  I  always  preferred  the 
pleasures  of  private  society  to  those  of  public  distinction. 
If  I  conceive  right  of  the  force  of  the  objection  of  the  gen- 
tlemen of  the  town,  it  was  not  as  an  officer,  but  as  a 
soldier  for  that  my  halting  was  a  blemish  to  the  rest.  I 
confess  it  is  my  misfortune  to  limp  a  little,  but  I  did  not 
conceive  it  to  be  so  great ;  but  we  are  not  apt  to  discover 
our  own  defects.  I  feel  the  less  mortified  at  it  as  it 's  nat- 
ural, and  not  a  stain  or  defection  that  resulted  from  my 
actions.  I  have  pleased  myself  with  the  thought  of  serving 
under  you,  but  as  it  is  the  general  opinion  that  I  am  un- 
fit for  such  an  undertaking,  I  shall  desist.  I  feel  not  the 
less  inclination  to  promote  the  good  of  the  company,  be- 
cause I  am  not  to  be  one  of  its  members.  I  will  do  any- 
thing tliat  's  in  my  power  to  procure  the  charter.      I  will 


50  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

bear  my  proportion  of  the  expense  until  the  company  is 
formed  and  completely  equipt.  Let  me  entreat  you,  sir, 
if  you  have  any  regard  for  me,  not  to  forsake  the  com- 
pany at  this  critical  season,  for  I  fear  the  consequences ; 
if  you  mean  to  oblige  me  by  it,  I  assure  you  it  will  not.  I 
would  not  have  the  com|-any  break  and  disband  for  fifty 
dollars ;  it  would  be  a  disgrace  upon  the  county,  and  upon 
the  town  in  particular.  I  feel  more  mortification  than 
resentment,  but  I  think  it  would  manifest  a  more  gener- 
ous temper  to  liave  given  me  their  opinions  in  private 
than  to  make  proclamation  of  it  in  puljlic  as  a  capital  ob- 
jection ;  for  nobody  loves  to  be  the  subject  of  ridicule, 
however  true  the  cause.  I  purpose  to  attend  to-morrow, 
if  my  business  will  permit,  and,  as  Mrs.  Greene  is  waiting, 
will  add  no  more,  only  that  I  am,  with  great  truth,  your 
sincere  friend." 

How  the  matter  was  finally  arranged  is  no 
longer  known,  beyond  the  simple  fact  that  he  re- 
mained in  the  company  as  a  private.  There  was 
still  another  practical  difficulty :  where  should  he 
find  a  musket  ?  for  alreadj^  muskets  and  military 
accoutrements  of  all  kinds  were  hard  to  get.  He 
resolved  to  go  to  Boston,  where  his  business  rela- 
tions, although  it  was  the  first  year  of  the  Port 
Bill,  would  afford  a  sufficient  pretext  for  a  visit.  It 
is  probable  that  he  took  lodgings  at  the  "  Bunch  of 
Grapes,"  on  the  little  square  in  front  of  Faneuil 
Hall.  If  we  bear  in  mind  his  position  in  the  Legis- 
lature, we  shall  see  that  he  would  hardly  be  in 
Boston  at  such  a  time  without  endeavoring  to  ex- 
change opinions  with  the  leaders  of  the  popular 
party.     He  may  have  met  Sam  Adams  and  War- 


1742-1775.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  51 

ren,  and  discussed  with  them  the  chances  of  that 
arm  J  of  twenty  thousand  men  which  Massachusetts 
had  just  asked  Rhode  Island  to  join  with  New 
Hampshire  and  Connecticut  in  helping  her  raise, 
and  Josiah  Quincy's  pamphlet,  and  that  little  close- 
printed  quarto  of  sixteen  pages  which  told  what  the 
General  Congress  of  Philadelphia  had  done.  It  is 
as  certain  as  tradition  can  make  it,  that  he  went 
more  than  once  to  Knox's  bookstore.  It  is  posi- 
tively known  that  he  attended  the  morning  and 
evening  parades  of  the  British  troops,  looking  at 
them  sternly  from  under  the  broad  brim  of  his 
Quaker  hat  with  those  keen  eyes  which,  before 
another  twelvemonth  was  passed,  were  to  look 
at  them  more  sternly  still  from  under  the  cocked 
hat  of  a  brigadier-general.  And  then,  having 
bought  a  musket,  and  engaged  a  British  deserter 
to  go  back  with  him  as  drill-master  to  the  "  Guards," 
he  prevailed  upon  a  farmer  to  hide  his  musket  in 
his  cart,  and,  following  him  at  a  cautious  distance, 
set  out  upon  his  journey  homeward.  Once  over 
the  Roxbury  lines,  he  would  breathe  freely ;  but 
when,  a  few  months  later,  he  heard  poor  Ditson's  ^ 
story,  he  must  have  recalled  his  own  adventure 
with  something  more  than  self-congratulation.  In 
a  few  days  he  appeared  on  parade  with  his  drill- 
master  and  his  musket ;  and  still  in  the  old  home- 
stead, w^here  he  was  born  and  grew  up  to  full  man- 
hood, that  musket  has  its  place  on  the  wall,  and  is 
reverentially  preserved  in  memory  of  him. 

1  Who  was   tarred   and  feathered  for  buying  one.      See   Force,   Am. 
Archives,  4th  Series,  Vol.  II.  p.  83. 


CHAPTER    V. 

Inner  Life.  —  Mental  Culture. —  How  and  what  be  studied.  —  His 
Library.  —  Study  of  Composition.  —  Letters  to  S.  Ward,  Jr.  — 
Quaker  Prejudices  against  Literature.  —  Glimpses  of  his  Daily  Life 
and  Habits.  —  Forge  burned.  —  A  Lottery.  —  Letter  to  William 
Greene.  —  Asthma.  —  In  Love.  —  Why  he  loved  S.  Ward.  —  S. 
Ward's  Sister.  —  Progress  of  the  Dispute  with  England.  —  Greene 
resolves  to  take  up  Arms.  —  Read  out  of  the  Meeting.  —  Threatened 
Accusation.  —  Military  Reading.  —  Rhode  Island  College.  —  Court- 
ship and  Marriage.  —  Domestic  Life.  —  Rapid  Development  of  Pub- 
lic Opinion.  —  Tea  burned  in  Market  Square,  Providence.  —  Battle 
of  Lexington.  —  March  of  Kentish  Guards.  —  Assembly  meets.  — 
Army  of  Observation.  —  Mission  to  Connecticut.  —  Greene  chosen 
Brigadier-General.  —  Commission.  —  Farewell  Letter  to  his  W^ife. 

"OUT,  side  by  side  with  this  out-of-door  hfe,  in 
-*-^  the  eye  of  his  Uttle  world,  Greene  was  Hving  a 
thoughtful  inner  life,  which  few  in  that  world  could 
appreciate  or  understand.  From  the  time  when 
his  literary  curiosity  had  first  been  awakened  by 
his  conversation  with  Giles  he  had  resolved  to 
make  the  cultivation  of  his  mind  a  part  of  his  daily 
work.  The  long  evenings  of  winter,  and  early  ris- 
ing all  the  year  round,  gave  him  hours  and  half- 
hours  which  amounted  to  days  in  the  course  of  the 
month,  and  he  turned  them  all  to  account.  Some 
time,  too,  as  I  have  already  said,  he  gained  during 
his  working  hours  by  still  keeping  his  book  at 
hand,  to  be  taken  up,  though  but  for  a  moment, 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  53 

while  the  iron  was  heating,  or  for  freer  use  wliile 
the  corn  was  passing  from  the  hopper. 

In  this  way  he  had  gradually  mastered  Euclid 
and  Locke ;  the  frequent  interruptions  serving 
only  to  make  him  think  more  closely,  and  weigh 
every  idea  and  principle  more  carefull}^,  before  it 
took  its  appropriate  place  in  his  mind.  Thus  his 
mode  of  reading  became  very  deliberate,  and  being 
prevented  both  by  the  turn  of  his  mind  and  his 
slender  stock  of  books  from  reading  for  excitement, 
he  would  read  the  same  book  over  and  over  again, 
returning  to  it  with  unpalled  appetite,  until  he  had 
made  himself  thoroughly  master  of  its  contents. 
And  thus,  too,  his  knowledge,  instead  of  floating 
loosel}''  upon  the  surface  of  his  mind,  permeated 
every  part  of  it,  and  became  a  substantial  thing, 
over  which  his  control  was  absolute.  And  hence, 
in  after  years,  it  was  a  saying,  among  those  who 
knew  him  best,  that  nobody  could  get  the  sub- 
stance out  of  a  book  as  he  could.^ 

It  was  not,  however,  without  the  constant  ex- 
ertion of  a  strong  will  that  he  could  carry  his 
studies  beyond  Barclay  and  Fox,  much  less  enter 
those  profane  regions  where  wit  and  poetry  spread 
their  snares  for  heedless  feet.  Of  his  father's  prej- 
udices I  have  already  spoken ;  and  it  was  not  till 

•1  This  has  often  been  told  me  by  knowledge  how  much  I  owe  to  her 

my  grandaunt,  Mary  Ward,  sister  of  tenderness  for  the  happiness  of  my 

Greene's  first  love,  and  of  his  early  early  years,  and  to  Tier  sound,  clear 

friend,  Samuel  Ward.      The  reader  mind  for  my  comprehension  of  the 

will  pardon  me  if  I  add,  that  I  can-  feelings  and  sentiments  of  our  Revo- 

not  write  the  name  of  this  excellent  lution. 
woman   without    a    longing    to    ac- 


54  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

he  grew  up  to  man's  estate  that  he  became  wholly 
free  to  follow  his  natural  bent  and  indulge  a  wider 
range  of  study,  and  not  until  he  had  a  house  of 
his  own  that  he  could  make  a  library  a  part  of  its 
furniture.  Then  the  pleasant  little  northeast  room 
that  looks  down  the  meadow  to  the  river  was 
chosen  for  a  study ;  and,  on  walls  covered  with  the 
miscellaneous  contents  of  a  country  store,  a  few 
shelves  were  set  apart  for  his  books.  By  degrees 
the  number  rose  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  well- 
chosen  volumes,  the  wonder  of  the  country  round, 
and  which  doubtless  made  even  some  of  his  friends, 
as  they  thought  of  the  precious  dollars  that  had 
been  given  for  them,  shake  their  heads  gravely,  and 
say,  "  You  never  can  read  them  all !  "  There  was 
Euclid,  his  early  teacher,  who  had  given  him  his 
first  consciousness  of  a  firm  grasp  upon  scientific 
truth.  There  were  the  four  thick  octavos  of  the 
Dictionary  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  answering  hun- 
dreds of  the  questions  that  crowded  upon  his 
mind,  and  illustrating  its  answers,  when  they  were 
susceptible  of  illustration,  by  elaborate  engravings. 
He  had  paid  "  four  pounds  lawful  "  for  them  ;  but 
it  was  not  by  pounds  and  shillings  that  the  pleas- 
ure and  profit  he  had  derived  from  them  could 
be  estimated.  There  was  John  Mair's  "  Book-keep- 
ing Methodized,"  with  a  dictionary  of  commercial 
terms,  and  an  appendix  full  of  valuable  informa- 
tion about  the  Colonial  trade,  —  lessons  gratefully 
remembered  when  the  complicated  questions  and 
accounts  of  the  quartermaster-general's  department 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  55 

came  up  before  him.  There  were  Locke's  Essay  and 
Butler's  Analogy.  There,  high  in  place,  were  the 
four  beautiful  quartos  of  Blackstone  from  the  Ox- 
ford press,  and  near  them  an  Edinburgh  quarto, 
with  leaves  often  and  thoughtfully  turned,  Fergu- 
son's Essay  on  Civil  Society,  —  a  w^ork  little  read 
now,  but  which  was  held  in  that  day  to  have  "  a 
great  deal  of  genius  and  fine  writing."  ^  Beccaria's 
golden  treatise,  the  first  application  of  a  humane 
philosophy  to  the  theory  of  crimes  and  punish- 
ments, was  there  also.  Were  not  Montesquieu  and 
Burlamaqui,  and  Puffendorf  and  Vattel,  and  Hume's 
essays  close  by  its  side  ?  I  do  not  know  positively, 
though  I  know  that  a  few  years  later  he  had  read 
Vattel  and  Hume ;  and  he  could  hardly  have  seen 
the  names  of  the  others  recurring  so  often,  in  books 
which  he  is  known  to  have  read,  without  feeling 
a  strono;  desire  to  read  them  too.  His  Roman  his- 
tory  was  Rollin,  with  engravings  facing  the  title- 
page  ;  young  Pompey  leading  his  horse  before  the 
censors  ;  Regulus  tearing  himself  from  the  arms  of 
his  wife  and  children  ;  Caesar  sinking  under  the 
dagger  which  Brutus,  with  averted  head,  thrusts 
into  his  bosom.  His  English  history  was  Eapin  ; 
his  rhetoric  and  literature,  Rollin  in  four  duodeci- 
mos. There  was  Csesar  "  Englished  by  Duncan," 
and  Horace  by  Smart.  There  was  Pope's  Homer, 
and  Pope's  own  poems,  and  the  Spectator,  and 
Swift,  whose  terse  simplicity  he  had  early  learned 
to  admire,  and  Tristram  Shandy,  whom  he  often 

1  Hume  to  Robertson,  May  29,  1759.     Stewart's  Life  of  Robertson. 


66  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

quotes,  and  whose  Dr.  Slop  he  loved  to  unperson- 
ate  to  the  great  amusement  of  his  brothers.  And 
in  most  of  these  books,  on  a  fly-leaf  or  the  title- 
page,  was  written  Nathanael  Greene's,  in  a  bold, 
round  hand,  which  a  schoolmaster  might  have  en- 
vied, but  which  was  to  lose  itself  almost  in  a  swift 
running-hand  when  thoughts  crowded  his  pen,  and 
expresses,  booted  and  spurred,  waited  to  convey 
his  orders. 

How  soon  he  began  to  use  his  pen  as  a  means 
of  culture  I  have  no  w^ay  of  ascertaining.  The 
earliest  specimens  of  his  writings  that  have  been 
preserved  are  his  letters  to  Samuel  Ward,  Jr.,  a  son 
of  the  Governor,  beginning  shortly  after  his  re- 
moval to  Coventry,  and  coming  down  to  the  mid- 
dle of  1774.  Some  of  these  are  regular  studies  of 
composition ;  showing  less,  however,  the  progress 
he  had  made  as  a  writer  than  the  subjects  to  which 
he  had  turned  his  thoughts,  and  the  opinions  he 
had  formed  upon  them.  In  one  of  these  letters  he 
traces  our  actions  to  "  self-love  "  as  "  the  primary 
mover  and  first  principle  of  them  all,"  attributing 
the  "  hazardous  actions  of  great  and  exalted  spirits  " 
"  for  the  good  of  others  "  to  the  "  passion  of  glory," 
and  the  '•  generous  benevolence  of  worthy  minds 
in  the  domestic  way  of  life  "  to  the  "  greater  hap- 
piness "  which  the  gratification  of  their  benevo- 
lence affords  them. 

In  a  comparison  between  town  and  country  life, 
he  unconsciously  gives  us  a  pleasant  glimpse  of  his 
own  way  of  enjoying  life  in  the  country.     Town 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE,  57 

life  reminds  him  of  a  cloudy  sky,  country  life  of  a 
clear  one,  each  acting  upon  the  other  by  a  law  of 
"  necessary  succession  "  ;  but  country  life,  in  which 
"  nature  seems  to  move  gently  on,  undisturbed  by 
noise  and  tumult,"  affords  an  opportunity  of  "  con- 
templating her  order  and  beauty  until  we  arrive  at 
that  pitch  of  knowledge  and  understanding  that 
the  God  of  nature  has  qualified  us  to  soar  to." 

He  defines  "  virtuous  manners  as  such  acquired 
habits  of  thought  and  correspondent  actions  as 
lead  to  the  steady  prosecution  of  the  general  wel- 
fare of  society.  Virtuous  principles  are  such  as 
tend  to  confirm  those  habits  by  superinducing  the 
idea  of  duty."  "  Virtuous  manners  "  he  holds  to 
be  "  a  permanent  foundation  for  civil  liberty,  be- 
cause they  lead  the  passions  and  desires  them- 
selves to  coincide  with  the  appointments  of  civil 
law."  He  speaks  of  benevolence,  "  What  shall  I 
say  to  you  of  benevolence  ?  The  example  of  God 
teacheth  the  lesson  truly."  He  speaks  of  friend- 
ship, and  finds  its  "  principal  fruit  in  the  ease  and 
discharge  of  the  swelling  of  the  heart."  "  The  jDur- 
suit  of  virtue  where  there  is  no  opposition,"  he  re- 
gards as  "  the  merit  of  a  common  man ;  but  to 
practise  it  in  spite  of  all  opposition  is  the  charac- 
ter of  a  truly  great  and  noble  soul."  Sometimes 
his  sentiments  assume  the  form  of  friendly  sugges- 
tion. "  It  is  very  fortunate  for  you  to  be  able  to 
enumerate  a  long  train  of  noble  ancestors,  but  to 
equal  the  best  and  excel  the  most  is  to  have  no 
occasion  for  any He  that  enters  in  life  with 


58  LIFE   OF   NATn.\NAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

all  the  advantages  of  a  noble  birth,  adorned  with  a 
liberal  education  and  improved  by  the  most  pious 
example,  cannot  be  excused  short  of  an  improve- 
ment proportionate  to  the  opportunity  given 

Learn,  my  friend,  to  distinguish  between  true  and 
false  modesty.  AVhat  I  call  false  modesty  is  not  to 
have  resolution  to  deny  an  unreasonable  request 

or  power  to  oppose  a  corrupt  custom Have 

you  not  felt,  on  seeing  or  reading  of  noble  deeds  or 
generous  actions,  pleasant  emotions  mixt  with  the 
desire  of  imitation?  These  are  the  advantages 
that  spring  from  choice  books  and  the  best  of  com- 
pany. They  inspire  the  mind  to  action,  and  direct 
the  passions." 

Sometimes  his  thoughts,  dwelling  upon  the 
bright  prospects  of  his  young  friend,  revert  with 
a  dignified  consciousness  to  his  own  position.  "  I 
hope  one  day  to  see  you  shine  like  a  star  of  the 
first  magnitude,  all  glorious  both  evening  and 
morning I  lament  the  want  of  liberal  edu- 
cation. I  feel  the  mist  of  ignorance  to  surround  me. 
....  I  was  educated  a  Quaker,  and  amongst  the 
most  superstitious  sort ;  and  that  of  itself  is  enough 
to  cramp  the  best  of  geniuses,  much  more  mine. 
This  constrained  manner  of  educating  their  youth 
has  proved  a  fine  nursery  of  ignorance  and  super- 
stition instead  of  piety,  and  has  laid  a  foundation 
for  farce  instead  of  worship." 

He  then  goes  on  to  show  that  "  it  was  not  the 
original  intention  of  the  Friends  to  prevent  the 
propagation  of  useful  literature  in  the  Church,  but 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  59 

only  to  prohibit  their  youth  from  reading  such 
books  as  may  make  them  fools  by  industry  " ;  that 
"  they  considered  youth  to  be  the  great  opportu- 
nity of  life,  which  settles  or  fixes  most  men  in  a 
good  or  bad  course  "  ;  that,  falling  upon  an  age  of 
priestcraft,  they  were  disgusted  with  a  system  of 
education  the  only  aim  of  which  was  to  "  cultivate 
the  youthful  mind  to  be  subservient  to  the  after- 
views  "  of  the  priesthood,  and  failing  to  distinguish 
"  where  the  evil  lay,"  and,  arguing  "  from  the  abuse 
to  the  disuse  of  the  thing,"  they  confounded  litera- 
ture with  a  "  vain  philosophy,"  and  while  they 
aimed  only  "  to  lop  off  the  dead  branches,"  super- 
stition and  ignorance,  creeping  in,  "  increased  into 

the  decay  of  learning This,  my  dear  friend, 

was  the  foundation  of  my  education." 

It  is  this  feeling,  perhaps,  that  prevents  him  from 
speaking  often  of  books,  although  a  mention  of 
them  now  and  then  creeps  in.  "  I  have  been  read- 
ing," he  writes,  July  21,  1773,  "Butler's  Analogy 
between  Natural  and  Eevealed  Religion."  Some- 
times his  reading  furnishes  him  with  a  simile, 
"  Griffin  pursued  him  through  Connecticut  as  Death 
did  Tristram  Shandy  through  France."  Sometimes 
with  a  quotation,  "  I  conclude  with  the  contents  of 
one  of  Seneca's  letters,  ^  I  am  well,  I  hope  you  are 
well,  farewell.'  "  Once  there  is  an  attempt  at  hu- 
mor. He  sends  out  an  imaginary  messenger  to 
see  what  his  friend  "  Sam  "  is  a  doing ;  and,  after 
some  hesitation,  the  messenger  says  :  "  Why,  then, 
—  if — -.if  I  must,  I  will.     I  found  him  out  in  the 


60  LIFE    OF   NATIIAN.\EL    GREEXE.  [1742-1775. 

woods  the  back  of  the  house  with  his  winter  shoes 
on,  new  modelling  his  bow  agreeably  to  the  Boston 
plan.  He  had  scraped  up  the  earth  as  you  have 
seen  stray  cattle  when  they  meet,  and  was  all  be- 
smeared with  the  dust  he  had  raised  ;  he  looked 
like  the  miller  in  the  farce."  The  drama,  if  we^nay 
judge  by  this  allusion,  had  attracted  some  share  of 
his  attention.  Once  only  does  he  quote  poetry. 
A  "  once  celebrated  "  belle  had  joaid  him  a  visit. 
She  was  in  declining  health.  "  She  appears,"  he 
writes,  "  like  a  gaudy  flower  nipt  by  the  pinch- 
ing frost.  I  fancy  she  is  not  long  for  this  world. 
Though  she  flies  swiftly  on  the  wings  of  wild  de- 
sire for  matrimony. 

"  How  rich,  how  valued  once  avails  thee  not ; 
To  whom  related  or  by  whom  begot. 
A  heap  of  dust  alone  remains  of  thee, 
'T  is  all  thou  art,  and  all  the  proud  shall  be." 

In  these  transcripts  of  his  mind  he  gives  us  oc- 
casional glimpses  of  himself  from  other  points  of 
view.  "  I  have  been  to  meeting  to-daj^,"  he  writes, 
of  a  Sunday  afternoon  ;  "  our  silence  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  vain,  conceited  minister.  Ilis  sermon 
made  me  think  of  a  certain  diet  called  Whistle- 
Belly  vengeance ;  he  that  eats  most  has  the  worst 
share.  lie  began  by  asking  what  could  be  said 
that  had  not  been  said  :  'Much  more,'  thinks  I, '  than 
you  ever  thought  or  ever  will.'  Poor  man  !  he  had 
a  little  morsel  to  comfort  himself,  and  he  could  n't 
be  contented  to  eat  it  alone,  but,  feeling  the  springs  . 
of  benevolence  rise  up  in  his  mind,  he  thought  it 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  61 

his  duty  to  make  a  distribution  among  the  whole 
congregation.  The  assembly  was  so  large  and  the 
matter  so  light  that  it  evaporated  like  smoke,  and 
left  us  neither  the  fuller  nor  the  better  pleased 
than  when  he  began." 

Another  day  he  was  more  fortunate.  "  There 
has  been  a  famous  preacher  at  Greenwich.  He  is 
a  gentleman  of  elevated  faculties,  a  fine  speaker, 
and  appears  by  his  language  to  be  a  lover  of  man- 
kind." 

Sometimes  we  meet  a  passage  that  gives  us  a 
morning  glance  into  his  room ;  as  Cicero's  licec 
ante  diluculum  scripsi^  does  into  the  early  hours 
of  the  great  orator.  "  Day  stands  tiptoe,  and  the 
rays  of  the  sun  begin  to  gild  the  tops  of  the  high- 
est hills  and  tallest  trees,"  he  writes  in  August, 
1772;  arnd  sometimes  a  glance  which  shows  that, 
with  all  his  love  of  books  and  application  to  business, 
he  loved  a  hearty  merry-making  still.  "  I  am  just 
returned  from  Mr.  Benjamin  Gardener's  wedding," 
he  writes  from  Potowomut  in  January,  1774.    "  We 

kept  it  up  three  or  four  days The  bride  was 

dressed  in  a  corded  lutestring  gown,  flounced  and 
furbelowed  in  high  taste ;  her  head  was  dressed  in 
a  laced  fly,  long  lappets  —  "and  then  suddenly 
checking  his  pen,  as  if  conscious  that  he  was  beyond 
his  depth,  he  adds, "  the  rest  of  the  head-dress  was 
of  a  piece,  which  I  leave  to  your  imagination  to 
frame,  as  I  am  no  great  connoisseur  in  female  fur- 
niture, and  am  at  a  loss  for  a  name  to  convey  my 

1  I  wrote  this  before  dawn. 


62  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

ideas.  The  bride  looked  rich,  but  not  neat;  amia- 
ble, but  not  handsome.  So  much  for  the  wedding." 
And  passing  to  "  snow-storm  upon  snow-storm ;  all 
the  face  of  the  earth  is  covered  with  virgin  snow," 
he  closes  with  another  unconscious  revelation  of 
character,  showino;  how  strono-  his  local  attach- 
ments  were,  and  what  a  hold  the  old  homestead 
had  upon  his  affections.  "Although  it  (the  snow) 
is  deep  and  difficult  to  get  abroad,  yet  I  can't  con- 
fine myself  long  from  Potowomut,  where  we  ap- 
jDear  as  the  people  of  old  did  that  went  into  the 
ark,  male  and  female." 

In  the  summer  of  1772,  August  17,  the  forge  at 
Coventry  was  burnt  down.  Lotteries  were  the  in- 
surance companies  of  that  day,  and  the  Legislature 
was  petitioned  for  a  lottery.  Lest  any  one  should 
feel  inclined  to  tax  the  Greenes  with  gambling,  let 
it  be  remembered  that  school-houses  and  churches 
were  built  and  repaired  by  the  same  means,  and 
that  even  private  individuals  felt  authorized  to 
have  recourse  to  them  for  the  reparation  of  pri- 
vate losses. 

"  Whereas,"  say  the  records,  "  John  Greene  & 
Compan}',  and  Griffin  Greene  all  of  Coventry  ;  and 
Nathaniel  Greene  &  Company  preferred  a  petition, 
and  represented  unto  this  Assemljly  that,  on  the 
night  of  the  17tli  instant,  the  buildino-s  of  the  foro-e 
in  said  Coventry,  of  which  they  were  owners,  were 
entirely  consumed  by  fire ;  that  the  loss  is  so  great 
that  they  cannot  repair  it  without  assistance  ;  that 
some  of  them  are  considerably  indebted,  have  in- 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  6 


o 


creasing  families  to  maintain,  and  by  the  said  mis- 
fortune are  deprived  of  their  principal  dependence  ; 
that  although  they  the  petitioners  are  the  immedi- 
ate sufferers,  yet  many  others  must  consequently 
share  in  the  calamity,  as  a  considerable  part  of  the 
country  adjacent  were  employed  by  means  of  said 
forge,  which  also  furnished  a  very  material  and 
expensive  article  for  shipping ;  and  that,  if  the  said 
forge  be  not  repaired,  the  anchor  works,  which  still 
remain,  will  be  in  a  manner  useless  ;  and  thereupon 
prayed  this  Assembly  to  grant  them  a  lottery  to 
raise  the  sum  of  $  2,500  under  the  direction  of 
Messrs.  William  Greene,  Christopher  Greene,  and 
Charles  Holden,  they  giving  bond  for  the  faithful 
performance  of  the  said  trust ;  on  consideration 
whereof 

"  Be  it  enacted  by  this  General  Assembly  and  by 
the  authority  thereof  it  is  enacted,  that  the  afore- 
said petition  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  granted."  ^ 

Two  years  later  Nathaniel  Greene  &  Company 
relinquished  their  interest  in  the  lottery,  which  by 
a  new  act,  in  compliance  with  a  new  petition,  was 
made  over  to  Griffin  Greene,  whose  name  we  shall 
often  meet  as  a  favorite  cousin  of  the  General.^  A 
letter  to  William  Greene  gives  the  story  from  an- 
other point  of  view. 

"  Coventry,  August  23,  1772. 

"  News  of  our  misfortune  in  the  destruction  of  the  forge 
doubtless  will  reach  you  before  this.     We  have  made  ap- 

1  Bartlett,  R.  I.  Records,  Vol.  VII.     stated  in  the  text,  see  the  same  vol- 
p.  52.     For  numerous  instances   of    ume,  passim. 
similar    grants,   to   the  full    extent        ^  Records  ut  sitjj.  242. 


64  LIFE    OF   NATnAN.\EL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

plication  to  the  General  Asseml)ly  for  a  lottery,  which 
have  obtained  a  grant  of.  You,  jNIr.  Christopher  Greene, 
and  Charles  Holden,  are  appointed  directors.  I  must 
entreat  you  to  accept  of  that  trust,  lest  it  should  defeat 
the  whole  scheme.  I  am  confident  the  satisfaction  of  as- 
sisting the  unfortunate  will  give  you  as  much  pleasure 
as  will  balance  the  trouble  and  diflEiculty  you  '11  experi- 
ence upon  the  occasion.  I  urge  it  more  on  my  uncle 
and  Griffin's  account  than  our  own  ;  and  had  it  not  been 
for  them  we  had  not  adopted  this  method  to  recover  part 
of  our  loss,  but  the  injury  was  too  great  for  them  to  re- 
cover themselves  without  the  aid  and  assistance  of  their 
friends.  The  loss  is  much  greater  in  its  consequences  to 
us  than  it  would  be  in  its  own  nature,  for  uncle's  loss  is 
our  loss,  for  this  unhappy  affair  will  put  it  out  of  his  pow- 
er to  pay  us  our  demands  for  some  time,  if  ever  he  gets 
able."  1 

Thus  much  for  the  lottery,  which  I  have  thought 
too  mteresting  an  illustration  of  ninety  years  ago 
to  be  passed  over  in  silence. 

"  I  have  had  a  most  severe  turn  of  the  phthisic  or 
asthma,"  the  letter  continues  ;  "  I  have  not  slept  six  hours 
in  four  nights,  being  obliged  to  sit  up  the  two  last  nights. 
I  hope  you  and  your  family  enjoy  a  better  state  of  health. 
If  ever  I  felt  the  benefit  of  philosophy  it  has  been  upon 
this  occasion,  for  I  felt  as  calm  and  as  contented  as  old 
Socrates  when  condemned  unjustly  by  the  /Athenians." 

This  is  the  first  mention  of  a  disease  which  stuck 
to  him  through  life ;  and  if  we  feel  a  smile  stealing 

1   I  am  indebted  for  tlie   original  left  in  blank  are  covered  with  memo- 
of  this  letter  to  Lieutenant-Governor  randa  of  names  and  numbers,  show- 
William  Greene,  the  grandson  of  the  ing  how  industriously  the  trust  was 
William    to   whom    it   was   written,  fulfilled. 
All  the  parts  of  iho  sheet  originally 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  65 

to  our  lips  at  the  self-congratulatory  comparison 
with  Socrates,  we  may  remember  that  Greene  was 
not  a  mere  declaimer,  trying  to  embellish  a  sen- 
tence, but  a  student  of  real  life,  trying  to  form  him- 
self for  its  duties  by  the  example  of  great  men. 

A  few  days  after  the  fire  he  wrote  to  Samuel 
Ward :  "  Your  letter  reached  me  the  morning 
after  the  destruction  of  the  forge.  I  sat  upon  the 
remains  of  one  of  the  old  shafts  and  read  it.  I  was 
surrounded  with  gloomy  faceSj  piles  of  timber  still 
in  flames,  heaps  of  bricks  dasht  to  pieces,  bushels 
of  coal  reduced  to  ashes  ;  —  everything  seemed  to 
appear  in  ruin  and  confusion."  The  letter  troubled 
him  too.  Some  expressions  in  one  of  his  own  let- 
ters had  been  misunderstood,  and  his  young  friend 
had  been  wounded  by  them.  "I  read  over  your 
letter  once  or  twice,"  Greene  writes,  "  before  I 
could  satisfy  myself  whether  the  surprise  I  felt  was 
the  effect  of  the  loss,  or  from  the  contents  of  the 
letter."  He  defends  himself  warmly ;  but  a  sweet 
tone  of  affection  runs  through  his  defence,  and, 
withdrawing  for  a  moment  the  veil  of  his  feelings, 
he  confesses  that  "  a  contest  has  been  going  on  in 
his  bosom,  that  his  breast  has  been  like  a  theatre 
of  strife  and  a  field  of  battle,  where  reason  and  pas- 
sion contend  with  various  successes  of  power  and 
victory."  If  we  would  know  why  he  was  thus  "  at 
variance  "  with  himself,  and  continually  "  torn  and 
distracted  with  civil  feuds  of  his  own  disturbed  im- 
agination" we  must  go  a  little  more  into  detail 
and  withdraw  the  veil  still  further. 


66  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENR  [1742-1775. 

There  were  many  things  in  young  Samuel  Ward 
to  draw  Greene  towards  him,  notwithstanding  the 
fourteen  years'  difference  in  their  ages.  Nature 
had  given  him  fine  talents.  The  happy  fortune  of 
his  birth  had  brought  him  early  into  contact  with 
cultivated  men.  He  laid  the  foundation  of  his 
education  betimes,  graduating  at  Rhode  Island 
Colleo-e  on  its  third  commencement,  and  with  hio-h 
honors,  although  not  yet  turned  of  sixteen.  As  he 
came  out  into  life  it  was  seen  that  sound  principles, 
force  of  ^vill,  self-control,  and  generous  sentiments 
formed  a  part  of  that  education ;  exalted,  all  of 
them,  by  an  honorable  ambition,  and  vivified  by  a 
dash  of  bold  enterprise.  How  resolutely  he  bore 
the  privations  of  the  march  through  the  wilder- 
ness, how  bravely  he  fought  under  the  walls  of 
Quebec,  how  gallantly  he  faced  the  Hessians  at 
Red  Bank,  how  adventurously,  when  the  war  was 
ended,  he  carried  the  flag  of  the  new  republic  into 
the  China  seas,  with  what  placid  serenity  he  re- 
turned to  the  plough  when  his  midday  was  passed, 
closing  the  active  portion  of  his  long  career  amid 
the  woods  and  fields,  cheerfully  sowing  where  his 
hand  might  not  be  permitted  to  gamer,  and  plant- 
ing trees  whose  fruit  he  could  never  hope  to  see, 
are  things  which  it  is  not  now  my  office  to  tell. 
But  I  cannot  write  his  name  upon  the  same 
page  with  that  of  my  grandfather,  without  re- 
calling, as  if  it  were  but  of  yesterday,  the  rev- 
erence with  which,  thirty  years  ago,  and  with 
eyes  already  accustomed  to  look  upon  historical 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  67 

men,  I  looked  upon  his  venerable  form  as  bent, 
but  not  broken  by  age,  he  would  talk  to  me  of 
Horace,  his  daily  companion,  or,  at  my  urgent 
request,  call  forth  from  his  faithful  memory 
some  pleasing  recollection  of  the  friend  of  his 
youth. 

And  now,  if  we  bear  in  mind  Greene's  political 
ties,  we  shall  see  how  naturally  his  relations  with 
the  father  would  ripen  into  still  closer  relations 
with  the  son.  And  if  we  remember  the  longing 
with  which  he  looked  to  the  intellectual "  Canaan  " 
amid  whose  pleasant  places  his  young  friend  was 
roaming  at  will,  while  his  own  feet,  like  those  of 
"  Moses  of  old,"  were  stayed  by  the  waters  of  "  Jor- 
dan," we  shall  see  how  much  this  intimate  connec- 
tion with  one  so  highly  favored  must  have  ap- 
peared to  him  like  standing  on  the  brink  of  the 
stream,  and  catching  a  breath  from  the  hallowed 
region  beyond. 

But  besides  all  this,  Samuel  \yard  had  a  sister 
who  was  exceeding  fair  in  the  eyes  of  his  friend ; 
a  maiden  in  whom  all  the  noble  instincts  of  the 
father  and  brother  looked  out  through  soft  eyes 
of  bluish  gray,  strengthening  the  harmony  of  well- 
matched  features,  deepening  at  times  the  tints 
upon  rosy  cheeks,  and  imparting  dignity  to  a  form 
which,  although  not  above  the  middle  size,  was  full 
of  symmetry  and  grace.  In  the  intimacy  of  coun- 
try life,  Greene  had  seen  her  grow  up  from  girl- 
hood to  womanhood,  and  learned  as  he  talked  with 
her  and   looked   upon  her  to  give  her  his  love. 


68  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

But  she  could  only  give  him  friendship  in  return, 
and  for  a  long  while  the  alternations  of  hope  and 
fear,  the  effort  to  awaken  a  warmer  feeling,  and 
the  Q:rowin2:  consciousness  that  his  efforts  were 
vain,  seem  to  have  "  overwhelmed  "  him  as  they 
have  overwhelmed  the  lovers  of  all  generations 
with  "  agreeable  distress  and  pleasant  pains."  And 
this  it  was  that  made  him  feel  "  at  variance  with 
himself " ;  and  the  meditative  habits  which  his 
natural  disposition  and  his  mode  of  life  encouraged 
must  have  greatly  contributed  to  increase  and  pro- 
lono*  the  aficitation. 

It  was  fortunate  for  him  that  just  at  this  time 
public  questions  began  to  demand  a  larger  share 
of  his  attention.  The  dispute  with  England  was 
rapidly  assuming  a  more  decided  form,  and  making 
it  necessary  for  men  of  all  classes  to  choose  their 
side  in  the  approaching  contest.  For  Greene  this 
decision  involved  another  decision,  which  he  could 
not  make  without  pain,  although  he  made  it  with- 
out hesitation.  He  saw  that  nothinor  but  a  reso- 
lute  appeal  to  arms  could  save  the  colonies  from 
absolute  subjection  to  the  royal  prerogative.  He 
felt  that  his  country  had  the  same  right  to  his  ser- 
vices in  the  field  which  he  had  recognized  as  her 
unquestionable  right  in  the  council-chamber.  But 
he  knew  that  he  could  not  take  a  sword  in  his 
hand  without  exposing  himself  to  be  cast  out  from 
the  religious  society  with  which  he  had  lived  in 
unbroken  harmony  from  his  earliest  childhood. 
Amid  the  little  nameless  mounds  that  dotted  the 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREEXE.  69 

greensward  on  the  west  side  of  the  Quaker  meet- 
ing-house, there  was  one  which  he  knew  to  be  the 
grave  of  his  mother,  and  by  the  same  path  by 
which,  when  but  a  boy  of  ten,  he  had  followed  her 
body  to  its  resting-place,  he  had  in  riper  years 
followed  two  brothers  and  his  father  to  their  places 
by  her  side.  How  could  he  cut  himself  off  from  a 
seat  in  the  building  in  which  he  had  so  often  lis- 
tened to  his  father's  voice,  and  his  rio^ht  to  a  o-rave 
in  a  spot  consecrated  by  the  graves  of  father  and 
mother  and  brothers  ? 

His  heart  was  tender,  and  his  personal  and  local 
attachments  strong ;  but  he  took  his  resolution  de- 
liberately, and  ever  after  abided  firmly  by  it.  Yet 
although  from  the  first  his  sentiments  must  have 
been  known  to  the  "  meeting,"  and  consequently 
condemned,  it  was  not  till  he  had  made  a  public 
profession  of  them  by  attending  a  military  pa- 
rade at  Plainfield,  near  the  Rhode  Island  border, 
that  it  took  public  notice  of  them.  Then  says  the 
record :  — 

"  At  our  monthly  meeting,  held  at  Cranston  on 

the  5th  of  seventh  month,  1773 Whereas, 

this  meeting  is  informed  that  Nathanael  and  Griffin 
Greene  have  (been)  at  a  place  in  Connecticut  of 
public  resort  where  they  had  no  proper  business, 
therefore  this  meeting  appoints  Ephraim  Congdon, 
Jared  Greene,  and  Cary  Spencer  to  make  inquiry 
into  the  matter,  and  to  make  report  at  our  next 
monthly  meeting." 

And  when  the  next  meetins;  came  too;ether,  it 


70  LIFE    OF   NATIL\>'AEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

was  further  resolved :  "  At  our  monthly  meeting  at 
East  Greenwich  y^  2d  of  the  eighth  month,  1773, 
The  committee  appointed  to  inquire  into  the  con- 
duct of  Nathanael  Greene  and  Griffin  Greene  re- 
port that  they  have  had  no  opportunity  with 
them  as  yet.  Therefore  it  is  continued  to  our  next 
monthly  meeting." 

There  was  an  evident  reluctance  to  proceed  to 
extremities  against  the  son  and  nephew  of  an  emi- 
nent preacher.  The  next  meeting  was  held  at 
"  Cranston  on  y^  Gth  day  of  y^  ninth  month,"  and 
still  the  blow  was  suspended.  "  In  the  matter  re- 
ferred to  this  meetino;  concernins;  Nathanael  Greene 
and  Griffin  Greene,  the  committee  report  that  they 
have  treated  with  them,  but  they  have  given  no 
satisfaction  as  j'et.  Whereupon  this  meeting  con- 
tinues it  once  more,  and  desires  the  clerk  to  in- 
form them  of  the  same." 

Another  month  passes,  both  parties  meeting  con- 
stantly the  while  in  the  pursuit  of  their  customary 
avocations.  The  next  meeting  is  held  at  East 
Greenwich,  in  the  very  building  wherein  for  almost 
thirty  years  his  face  had  been  one  of  the  most 
familiar,  and  there  on  "  y^  30th  day  of  y®  ninth 
month  "  the  clerk  writes  with  reluctant  pen, — "  The 
matter  referred  to  this  meetino;  conceruino;  Na- 
thanael  Greene  and  Griffin  Greene,  as  they  have 
not  given  this  meeting  any  satisfaction  for  their 
outgoing  and  misconduct,  therefore  this  meeting 
doth  put  them  from  under  the  care  of  the  meeting 
until   they  make  satisfaction  for  their  misconduct, 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  71 

and  appoint  John  Greene  to  inform  them  of  the 
same."  ^ 

Ah'eady  this  same  year  he  had  been  menaced, 
with  a  more  dangerous  accusation.     "  One  of  the 
Gaspee's  people  has  sworn  against  me  as  being  con- 
cerned in  the  destruction  of  her I  should 

be  tempted  to  let  the  sun  shine  through  him  if  I 
could  come  at  him,"  he  writes  Samuel  Ward.  The 
idea  of  being  "  called  to  the  bar  as  a  criminal,"  in 
such  a  cause,  has  its  ludicrous  side  also.  "  Would 
it  not  make  you  laugh,"  he  writes,  "to  see  the 
Colonel  stand  in  that  attitude  ? " 

And  now  military  books  began  to  make  their 
appearance  on  his  shelves,  purchased,  most  of 
them,  an  authentic  tradition  says,  at  the  bookstore 
of  Henry  Knox,  whom  he  had  known  thus  far 
only  as  a  bookseller,  but  whom  he  was  soon  to 
meet  in  camp,  and  to  live  with  throughout  the 
rest  of  his  life  as  a  cherished  friend.  Then  came 
the  organization  of  the  Kentish  Guards.  His 
separation  from  the  Quakers  was  complete  and 
irrevocable. 

One  more  trace  of  his  interest  in  another  class 
of  questions  remains.  Rhode  Island  College  had 
been  established  in  1764  (February  27),  and  gave 
promise  of  becoming  an  important  institution. 
There  was  still,  however,  as  late  as  1770  (February 
7),  an  uncertainty  about  the  best  place  for  a  per- 
manent location ;    all   the  principal  towns  of  the 

1  MSS.  records.    I  am  indebted  for     ray  friend  and  schoolmate,  James  H. 
my  copy  of  the  passages  in  the  text  to     Eldridge,  M.D.,  of  East  Greenwich. 


72  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

State  claiming  it  on  the  ground  of  peculiar  local 
advantages.  Greene  took  an  active  part  in  the 
discussion,  advocating  the  claims  of  East  Green- 
Tvich.^ 

Erelong  another  decisive  change  in  his  per- 
sonal condition  followed.  Just  where  the  hill  on 
whose  eastern  slope  East  Greenwich  is  built  be- 
gins to  fall  away  on  the  west  towards  a  deep 
and  smiling  valley  stands  the  house  of  Governor 
Greene, — a  large  house  for  the  early  Colonial  days 
in  which  it  was  built,  and  to  whose  unadorned  walls 
association  still  gives  such  an  air  of  simple  dignity 
that  you  instinctively  pause  and  look  around  you 
before  you  cross  the  threshold ;  for  there  are  few 
of  Rhode  Island's  great  men  who  have  not  crossed 
it,  and  in  its  little  southwest  parlor,  whose  w^estern 
window  overlooks  the  valley,  Franklin  loved  to  sit 
and  look  upon  the  pleasant  landscape.  But  it 
was  not  to  sit  where  Franklin  had  sat,  or  even 
to  discuss,  with  the  future  governor,  the  anxious 
questions  of  the  day,  that  Greene  stopped  so  often 
and  so  long  in  his  frequent  passings  by.  But  that 
little  parlor  was  lighted  now  by  eyes  of  bluish 
gra}^,  which  smiled  upon  him  till  he  forgot  in 
whom  he  had  first  learned  to  love  such  eyes,  and 
a  form  light  and  agile  in  his  favorite  dance,  and  a 
merry  laugh  from  dewy  lips,  and  a  lively  wit,  and  a 
heart  all  ready  to  meet  his  own  in  equal  exchange. 


1  "Guild's  History  of  Brown  Uni-     interesting  chapters  of  this  authentic 
versify.     The  history  of  the  location     and  important  work, 
of  this  institution  is  one  of  the  most 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  73 

The  maiden's  name  was  Catherine  Littlefield,  and 
she  was  a  niece  of  the  governor's  wife,  the  Cather- 
ine Ray  of  Franklin's  letters.  The  courtship  sped 
swiftly  and  smoothly ;  and  more  than  once,  in 
the  course  of  it,  he  followed  her  to  Block  Island, 
where,  as  long  after,  her  sister  told  me,  the  time 
passed  gleefully  in  merry-makings,  of  which  dan- 
cing always  formed  a  principal  part.  And,  on  the 
12th  of  July,  1774,  it  was  certified,  under  the 
hand  of  David  Sprague,  Clerke,  "  to  all  whom  it 
may  concern  That  The  intention  of  marriage  was 
Published  in  the  congregation  assembled  For  Di- 
vine Worship  in  Newshoreham  meeting-house 
Three  days  of  Publick  Worship  Between  Mr.  Na- 
thanial  Greene  of  Coventry  in  the  County  of  Kint 
and  Catharine  Littlefield  a  Daughter  of  John  Little- 
field  Esq.  at  Newshoreham  in  the  county  of  New- 
port and  no  objection  was  made  to  forbid  their 
marriage."  On  the  same  days,  the  worshippers  at 
the  "  Episcopal  Church  at  Providence  "  received  a 
similar  notice,  as  is  testified,  in  a  clear,  copy-book 
hand,  by  the  rector,  J.  Greaves.  And  a  third  cer- 
tificate being  given,  on  the  18th,  by  Stephen 
Arnold,  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  the 
requisitions  of  law  and  custom  were  fulfilled.  Al- 
ready, on  the  10th,  he  had  written :  — 

"  Friend  Samuel,  —  Please  to  deliver  the  enclosed 
cards  to  your  sisters.  On  the  20th  this  instant,  I  expect 
to  be  married  to  Miss  Kitty  Littlefield,  at  your  uncle 
Greene's.  As  a  relation  of  hers,  and  friend  of  mine, 
your  company  will  be  required  on  that  occasion." 


74  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.^L    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

But  a  sterner  note  mingles  menacingly  with  the 
marriage-bell.  "  The  soldiers  in  Boston,"  he  goes 
on  to  say,  "  are  insolent  above  measure.  Soon, 
very  soon,  I  expect  to  hear  the  thirsty  earth  drink- 
ing in  the  warm  blood  of  American  sons.  Oh, 
how  my  e3^es  flash  with  indignation,  and  my  bosom 
burns  with  holy  resentment !  ....  0  Boston ! 
Boston !  would  to  heaven  that  the  good  angel  that 
destroyed  the  army  of  Sennacherib  might  now  in- 
terpose, and  rid  you  of  your  oppressors !  How  is 
the  design  of  government  subverted ! " 

The  20th  of  July  came,  and  in  the  little  room 
hallowed  by  the  recollections  of  Franklin  Greene 
received  the  hand  of  his  bride  ;  and  then,  through 
those  green  roads  and  lanes,  which  looked  greener 
and  lovelier  than  ever  before,  he  led  her  home  to 
Coventry. 

Time  now  passed  swiftl}^  Public  life  and  pri- 
vate life  crowded  close  upon  each  other.  His 
forge,  his  books,  the  society  of  his  wife,  were  occu- 
pation enough  for  one  whom  ambition  had  scarcely 
touched,  and  whose  thoughts  had  never  wandered 
far  from  his  paternal  fields.  But  the  legislature 
met  often,  and  each  session  brought  up  questions 
of  great  moment.  Solomon  Southwick,  of  New- 
port, had  just  published  Lord  Somers's  "  Judgment 
of  whole  Kingdoms  and  Nations  concerning  the 
Eights,  Powers,  and  Prerogatives  of  Kings,  and  the 
Rights,  Privileges,  and  Properties  of  the  People  "  ; 
and  as  the  legislators  of  Rhode  Island  read  this 
inculcation  of  the  duty  of  "  resisting  evil  and  de- 


1742-1775.J  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  75 

structive  princes,"  they  felt  their  own  resolution 
strengthened,  and  saw  the  path  of  duty  grow 
plainer  to  their  eyes.  All  began  to  feel  that  "  the 
time  (was)  near  approaching  when  (they)  must 
gird  on  (their)  swords,  and  ride  forth  to  meet  their 
enemies."  -^  Greene's  feelings  toward  the  minis- 
try find  their  way  into  his  letters  to  his  wife.  "  Re- 
member me  to  the  Doctor,  and  tell  him  if  he  don't 
make  a  perfect  cure,  or  lay  a  good  foundation  for 
it,  I'll  put  him  on  board  of  a  man-of-war,  and  send 
him  to  England  to  be  tryed  for  the  heinous  offence 
of  disaffection  to  Arbitrary  Government  and  Minis- 
terial tyranny."  It  is  from  such  letters  that  we 
learn  what  the  habitual  tone  of  his  conversation 
must  have  been.  The  drills  of  militia  and  inde- 
pendent companies  continued.  The  calls  for  arms 
became  constant,  and  manufactories  sprang  up  in 
different  parts  of  the  State  to  answer  them.  The  ac- 
tion of  Congress  was  approved  in  an  extra  session 
of  the  Assembly.^  Committees  of  inspection  were 
on  the  alert.  All  eyes  were  turned  anxiously  to- 
wards Boston.  Money  and  provisions  were  sent 
to  the  inhabitants,  already  straitened  by  the  Port 
Bill.^  In  December,  as  we  have  already  seen.  Fort 
George  was  dismantled,  and  the  cannon  secured 
for  the  use  of  the  Colony.*     The  use  of  tea  was 


1  Extract  from  a  letter  from  a  gen-  Greene's  friend,  Varnum.     Bartlett 
tleman  in  Connecticut,  published  in  R.  I.  Rec,  Vol.  VII.  p.  303. 
Force's  Archives.  *  "  Six  twenty-four-pounders,  eigh- 

2  R.  I.  Records,  Vol.  VII.  p.  263.  teen  eighteen-pounders,  fourteen  six- 
^  See,    among     others,   the    East  pounders,  and    six    four-pounders." 

Greenwich    resolutions,    drawn    by  Captain  Wallace  to  Admiral  Graves, 


76  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

suspended.  "  We  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
East  India  Company's  irksome  tea,  nor  any  other 
subject  to  the  like  duty,"  say  the  Middletown  re- 
solves.^ At  Providence,  "  about  twelve  o'clock  at 
noon,  the  town-crier"  passed  through  the  town, 
giving  notice,  "At  five  o'clock  this  afternoon,  a 
quantity  of  India  tea  will  be  burnt  in  the  market- 
place. All  true  friends  of  their  country,  lovers  of 
freedom  and  haters  of  shackles  and  handcuffs,  are 
hereby  invited  to  testify  their  good  disposition,  by 
bringing  in  and  casting  into  the  fire  a  needless  herb 
which  for  a  long  time  hath  been  highly  detrimental 
to  our  liberty,  interest,  and  health."  About  three 
hundred  pounds  were  burnt  "by  the  firm  con- 
tenders for  the  true  interest  of  America.  A  tar- 
barrel,  Lord  North's  speech,  Rivingston's  and  Mill's 
and  Hicks's  newspapers  and  divers  other  ingredients 
were  also  added,  ....  many  worthy  women  .... 
making  a  free-will  offering  of  their  respective  stocks 
of  the  hurtful  trash.  On  this  occasion  the  bells  were 
tolled ;  but  it  is  referred  to  the  learned  whether 
tolling  or  ringing  would  have  been  most  proper. 
Whilst  the  tea  was  burning  a  spirited  son  of  liberty 
went  along  the  streets  with  his  brush  and  lamp- 
black, and  obliterated  or  unpainted  the  word  tea 
on  the  shop  signs." 

This  was  in  March,  1775;^  and  these  anxieties 
and    preparations    of    feeling    went    on    gaining 

Dec.  12,  1774.    R.  I.  Rec,  Vol.  VII.  i  Arnold's  Rhode  Island,  Vol.  II. 

p.  306.    Wallace's  letter  is  a  good  il-  p.  330. 

lustration  of  the  feeling  on  both  sides.  2  Force's  Am.  Archives,  4th  Series, 

IIow  differently  tlio  name  sounds  in  Vol.  II.  p.  15  ;  also  Arnold's  Rhode 

Scottish  history  and  in  American  !  Island,  Vol.  II.  p.  345. 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  U 

strength  through  the  first  weeks  of  April.  Then, 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  19th,  a  messenger  fresh 
from  the  field  reached  Providence,  with  tidings 
that  the  regulars  and  the  colonists  were  fight- 
ing at  Lexington.  The  news  passed  quickly  from 
mouth  to  mouth,  each  new  narrator  giving  it  the 
coloring  of  his  own  mind.  "  War,  war,  boys ! " 
John  Howland  heard  one  man  say :  "  there  is  war ; 
the  regulars  have  marched  out  of  Boston ;  a  great 
many  men  are  killed ;  war,  war,  boys  ! "  ^  Men 
gathered  in  groups  on  the  parade,  inquiring  the 
news,  the  officers  of  the  four  independent  compa- 
nies amonoj  them.  The  drmn  beat  to  arms.  It 
was  sundown  before  the  men  could  be  all  got  to- 
gether, and  then  Sessions,  the  Lieutenant-Governor, 
would  not  hearken  to  their  earnest  appeals  for 
marching  orders.  Wanton,  the  Governor,  lived  at 
Newport,  thirty  miles  'off!  Without  orders,  the 
officers  were  reluctant  to  march,  for  they  knew 
that  their  legal  authority  would  cease  the  moment 
they  crossed  the  boundary  line ;  and,  true  Anglo- 
Saxons,  even  in  this  uprising  which  strict  law 
would  have  called  rebellion,  they  would  feign  have 
preserved  the  forms  of  law.  Adopting,  therefore, 
a  middle  course,  they  despatched  an  express  to 
Boston,  resolved,  if  they  were  needed,  to  march 
without  taking  further  thought  of  the  Governor's 
consent. 

Meanwhile,  the  tidings  passed    on,  from   farm- 
house to  farm-house,  from  town  to  io\\n.     It  was 

1  Stone's  Howland,  p.  40. 


78  LIFE    OF   NATILVNAEL   GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

already  night  when  they  reached  Greene  at  Cov- 
entry ;  but  he  instantly  mounted  his  horse,  and 
hurried  oflf  to  the  alarm-post  of  the  Kentish 
C?uards,  at  Greenwich,  stopping  at  the  house  of  a 
friend  named  Madison, —  who  still,  in  my  early  man- 
hood, lived  to  tell  the  story,  —  to  borrow  a  few  dol- 
lars in  hard  money.  The  Guards  set  out  by  dawn, 
with  Yarnum  at  their  head.  It  was  early  in  the 
morning  when  they  passed  through  Providence. 
"  I  viewed  the  company  as  they  marched  up  the 
street,"  said  John  Rowland,  "and  observed  Na- 
thaniel Greene,  with  his  musket  on  his  shoulder, 
in  the  ranks,  as  a  private.  I  distinguished  Mr. 
Greene,  whom  I  had  frequently  seen,  by  the  mo- 
tion of  his  shoulder  in  the  march,  as  one  of  his 
legs  was  shorter  than  the  other."  ^  It  was  the  stiff- 
ness in  his  knee  which  gave  him  that  halt  in  his 
gait,  and  the  musket  on  his  shoulder  was  the  Eng- 
lish musket  he  had  bought  in  Boston.  At  Paw- 
tucket,  just  as  they  were  crossing  the  line,  a 
messenger  from  the  Tory  Governor,  Wanton,  over- 
took them,  with  orders  to  turn  back.  The  com- 
pany obeyed ;  but  Greene,  procuring  a  horse, 
pushed  on  with  three  companions,  two  of  them 
his  brothers.  On  the  way,  messengers  met  them 
with  information  that  the  British  troops  had  been 
driven  into  Boston. 

On  the  2 2d,  the  Assembly  met  at  Providence, 
and  "Voted  and  resolved,  that  fifteen  hundred 
men  be  enlisted,  raised,  and  embodied,  as  aforesaid, 

^  Stone's  Ilowland,  ut  sup. 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  79 

with  all  the  expedition  and  despatch  that  the  thing 
will  admit  of."  This  little  army  was  to  serve  at 
home  as  an  army  of  observation,  "  and  also,  if  it 
be  necessary  for  the  safety  and  preservation  of  any 
of  the  Colonies,  to  march  out  of  this  Colony,  and  join 
and  co-operate  with  the  forces  of  the  neighboring 
Colonies."  In  the  same  session,  "  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  wait  upon  the  General  Assembly  of 
Connecticut  to  consult  with  them  upon  measures 
for  the  common  defence  of  the  four  New  England 
Colonies,  and  that  they  make  report  to  this  Assem- 
bly at  the  next  session."  Samuel  Ward  and  Wil- 
liam Bradford  were  made  the  committee ;  and 
Ward,  being  unable  to  serve,  on  account  of  his 
duties  as  delegate  to  Congress,  "  It  (was)  voted 
and  resolved,  that  M""-  Nathanael  Greene  be,  and 
he  is  hereby,  appointed  "  in  his  place. 

In  the  following  week  the  Assembly  met  again, 
not  at  Newport,  as  they  should  have  done,  but,  for 
greater  security,  at  Providence  -,  and,  promptly 
meeting  the  great  question  of  the  hour,  pro- 
ceeded to  organize  their  army  of  observation. 
The  number,  as  we  have  already  seen,  was  fixed  at 
fifteen  hundred  men.  These  were  now  "formed 
into  one  brigade,  under  the  command  of  a  briga- 
dier-general," the  brigade  to  be  "divided  into 
three  regiments,  each  of  which  shall  be  com- 
manded by  one  colonel,  one  lieutenant-colonel,  and 
one  major,  ....  each  regiment  to  consist  of  eight 
companies,"  —  one  of  the  companies  to  be  "  a  train 
of  artillery  and  have  the  use  of  the  Colony's  field- 


80  LIFE    OF   NATHAN .VEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

pieces."  Then  passing  to  the  choice  of  officers, 
the  name  of  Nathanael  Greene  was  placed  first  on 
the  list  as  brigadier-general. 

As  we  look  at  this  choice  from  our  present  point 
of  view,  we  are  instinctively  led  to  class  it  among 
those  events  wherein  human  wisdom,  recognizing 
its  own  weakness,  seeks  for  the  explanation  of  its 
impulses  in  a  direct  interposition  of  an  overruling 
Providence.  But  there  were  human  causes  also, 
and  we  cannot  but  long  to  know  them.  Greene 
had  never  held  a  military  commission.  The  Col- 
ony had  its  militia  organization  and  its  major- 
general,  Simeon  Potter.  Why  not  choose  for  the 
responsible  office  a  man  of  military  associations  ? 
Varnum,  the  colonel  of  the  Kentish  Guards,  was  a 
brilliant  and  popular  man.  Why  go  to  his  ranks 
for  a  brio-adier-eeneral  ?  We  find  Greene  em- 
plo^-ed,  it  is  true,  in  the  revisal  of  the  militia  laws, 
and  on  the  mission  to  Connecticut,  in  which  mili- 
tary organization  would  be  more  or  less  fully  dis- 
cussed. It  is  probable,  also,  that  his  late  military 
reading  had  given  precision  and  distinctness  to  his 
language  upon  military  questions.  Still,  the  main 
clew  escapes  us,  although  I  cannot  but  feel  that 
something  was  owing  to  his  personal  relations  with 
Governor  Ward.  There  is  a  tradition,  but  I  w^ll  not 
vouch  for  it,  that  the  first  choice  fell  upon  an  Epis- 
copalian, who  declined ;  the  second,  on  a  Congrega- 
tionalist,  who  also  declined ;  and  that,  when  the 
third  vote  was  announced  as  havino:  ftillen  on 
Greene,  he  rose  in  his  place,  and  said :  "■  Since  the 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  81 

Episcopalian   and  Congregationalist  won't,  I  sup- 
pose the  Quaker  must." 

Wanton,  though  re-elected  Governor  in  spite  of 
his  Tory  proclivities,  having  failed  to  qualify,  Henry 
Ward,  Secretary  of  the  Colony,  was  "  authorized 
and  fully  empowered  to  sign  the  commissions  of 
all  officers  civil  and  military,  ....  receiving  there- 
for, out  of  the  general  treasury,  two  shillings  and 
eight  pence  for  each  commission."  ^  And  accord- 
ingly, on  the  8th  of  May,  1775,  impressing  Rhode 
Island's  anchor  on  the  left-hand  corner  of  an  open 
sheet  of  common  foolscap,  he  wrote  in  a  clear  and 
beautiful  hand :  — 

"  By  the  Honorable  the  General  Assembly  of  the  English  Col- 
ony of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations  in  New 
England  in  America. 

"  To  Nathaniel  Greene,  Esquire, 

Greeting : 

"  Whereas,  for  the  Preservation  of  the  Rights  and  Lib- 
erties of  His  Majesty's  loyal  and  faithful  Subjects  in  this 
Colony  and  America,  the  aforesaid  General  Assembly  have 
ordered  Fifteen  Hundred  Men  to  be  inlisted  and  embodied 
into  an  Army  of  Observation,  and  to  be  formed  into  one 
Brigade  under  the  command  of  a  Brigadier-General,  and 
have  appointed  you  the  said  Nathaniel  Greene  Brigadier- 
General  of  the  said  Army  of  Observation  :  You  are,  there- 
fore, hereby  in  His  Majesty's  Name  George  the  Third,  by 
the  Grace  of  God  King  of  Great  Britain,  &c.,  authorized, 
empowered,  and  commissioned  to  have,  take,  and  exercise 
the  Office  of  Brigadier-General  of  the  said  Army  of  Obser- 
vation, and  to  command,  guide,  and  conduct  the  same,  or 

1  For  these  statements  generally,  see  Bartlett,  ut  sup.,  Vol.  VII. 
6 


82  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

any  Part  thereof.  And  in  Case  of  Invasion  or  Assault  of 
a  Common  Enemy,  to  disturb  this  or  any  other  of  His 
Majesty's  Colonies  in  America,  you  are  to  alarm  and 
gather  together  the  Army  under  your  Command,  or  any 
Part  thereof,  as  you  shall  deem  sufficient,  and  therewith 
to  the  utmost  of  your  Skill  and  Ability  you  are  to  resist, 
expel,  kill,  and  destroy  them  in  Order  to  preserve  the  In- 
terest of  His  Majesty  and  His  good  Subjects  in  these  Parts. 
You  are  also  to  follow  such  instructions,  Directions,  and 
Orders  as  shall  from  Time  to  Time  be  given  forth,  either 
by  the  General  Assembly  or  your  superior  Officers.  And 
for  your  so  doing  this  Commission  shall  be  your  sufficient 
Warrant. 

"  By  Virtue  of  an  Act  of  the  said  General  Assembly,  I, 
Henry  Ward,  Esq^,  Secretary  of  the  said  Colony,  have 
hereunto  set  my  Hand  and  the  seal  of  the  said  Colony 
this  Eighth  Day  of  May,  A.  D.  1775,  and  in  the  Fifteenth 
Year  of  His  said  Majesty's  Reign. 

"  Henry  Ward."  i 

Details  of  organization  and  preparation  followed. 
There  were  questions  to  arrange  with  the  gov- 
ernment, and,  at  the  last  moment,  with  the  Com- 
mittee of  Safety.  His  private  affairs,  too,  might 
have  claimed  some  share  of  his  attention,  but  he 
threw  them  upon  his  brothers;  and  never,  from 
that  moment,  gave  them  more  than  a  cursory 
glance.  There  were  little  details,  however,  which 
he  did  not  forget,  and,  among  them,  to  direct 
James  Gould,  of  Newport,  who  had  made  him  many 
a  suit  of  drab,  to  make  him  a  suit  of  uniform,  and 
"send  it  to  Cambridge  by  Wednesday." 

1  From  the  original  among  the  Greene  papers. 


1742-1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  83 

And  then,  on  the  2d  of  June,  he  wrote  his  Avife 
from  Providence :  — 

"My  dear  Wife, —  I  am  tliis  moment  going  to  set 
off  for  camp,  having  been  detained  by  the  Committee  of 
Safety  till  now.  I  have  recommended  you  to  the  care  of 
my  brethren  ;  direct  your  conduct  by  their  advice,  unless 
they  should  so  far  forget  their  affection  for  me  as  to  re- 
quest anything  unworthy  of  you  to  comply  with.  In  that 
case,  maintain  your  own  independence  until  my  return, 
which,  if  Providence  allows,  I  will  see  justice  done  you  ; 
but  I  have  no  reason  to  think  but  that  you  '11  be  very 
kindly  and  affectionately  treated  in  my  absence.  I  have 
not  so  much  in  my  mind  that  wounds  my  peace,  as  the 
separation  from  you.  My  bosom  is  knitted  to  yours  by 
all  the  gentle  feelings  that  inspire  the  softest  sentiments 
of  conjugal  love.  It  had  been  happy  for  me  if  I  could 
have  lived  a  private  life  in  peace  and  plenty,  enjoying  all 
the  happiness  that  results  from  a  well-tempered  society, 
founded  on  mutual  esteem.  The  social  feelings  that  ac- 
companies such  an  intercourse  is  a  faint  emblem  of  the 
divine  saints  inhabiting  eternity.  But  the  injury  done  my 
country,  and  the  chains  of  slavery  forging  for  posterity, 
calls  me  forth  to  defend  our  common  rights,  and  repel  the 
bold  invaders  of  the  sons  of  freedom.  The  cause  is  the 
cause  of  God  and  man.  Slavery  shuts  up  every  avenue 
that  leads  to  knowledge,  and  leaves  the  soul  ignorant  of 
its  own  importance ;  it  is  rendered  incapable  of  promot- 
ing human  happiness  or  piety  or  virtue ;  and  he  that  be- 
trays that  trust,  being  once  acquainted  with  the  pleasure 
and  advantages  of  knowledge  and  freedom,  is  guilty  of  a 
spiritual  suicide.     I  am  determined  to  defend  my  rights, 

1  I  take  this  from  the  original  or-  and  fourth  generation,  pursue  with  re- 

dei'-book  of  James  Gould,  preserved  spectability  and  skill  their  hereditary 

by  his  grandchildren,  David  and  Na-  trade,  under  the  name  of  Gould  and 

than  Gould,  who  still,  in  the  third  Son. 


84  LIFE    OF    NATH.\^'AEL    GREENE.  [1742-1775. 

and  maintain  my  freedom,  or  sell  my  life  in  the  attempt ; 
and  I  hope  the  righteous  God  that  rules  the  world  will 
bless  the  armies  of  America,  and  receive  the  spirits  of  those 
whose  lot  it  is  to  fall  in  action  into  the  paradise  of  God, 
into  whose  protection  I  commend  you  and  myself;  and 
am,  with  truest  regard,  your  loving  husband, 

"  N.  Greene." 

And  thus,  with  a  mind  enriched  and  strength- 
ened b}'^  study ;  with  habits  of  careful  investiga- 
tion and  patient  thought ;  with  principles  drawn 
from  reading  and  meditation,  and  tested  by  expe- 
rience in  practical  legislation  ;  with  the  accuracy 
of  a  man  of  business,  and  the  breadth  of  a  man 
of  speculation  ;  trained  to  observe  and  to  listen ; 
painstakmg  and  cautious  in  the  formation  of  opin- 
ions, but  prompt  and  resolute  in  action ;  accus- 
tomed to  deal  with  men ;  not  unused  to  responsi- 
bility ;  and  casting  the  pleasures  of  domestic  life 
and  the  tranquil  pursuits  he  loved  behind  him, 
he  went  forth,  at  the  age  of  thirty-two,  to  take  his 
place  among  great  men,  and  fight  the  battles  of 
his  country. 


BOOK    SECOND. 

FROM  HIS  APPOINTMENT  TO  THE  COIVIMAND  OF 
THE  RHODE  ISLAND  ARMY  OF  OBSERVATION  TO 
HIS  APPOINTMENT  AS  QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL. 

1775-1778. 


BOOK    SECOND. 

FROM  HIS  APPOINTMENT  TO  THE  COMMAND  OF  THE 
RHODE  ISLAND  ARMY  OF  OBSERVATION  TO  HIS  AP- 
POINTMENT AS   QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL. 

1775-1778. 


CHAPTER    I. 

New  Phase  in  Greene's  Life.  —  Condition  of  Rhode  Island  Camp.  — 
Effects  of  his  Presence.  —  Council  of  War  at  Cambridge.  —  Ward's 
Head-quarters.  —  Colonial  Troops  independent  of  each  other.  — 
Greene  devotes  himself  to  disciplining  his  Brigade.  —  Difficulties 
of  the  Task.  —  Drunkenness.  —  Punishments.  —  Hard  Work.  — 
Treated  with  "  Great  Respect"  by  the  General  Officers.  —  Bunker 
Hill.  —  Active  Siege.  —  Dishonest  Agents.  —  Arrival  of  Washing- 
ton. —  Charles  Lee.  —  Greene  sends  an  Address  to  Washington.  — 
His  Satisfaction  at  Washington's  Appointment. 

/~^  REENE  now  enters  upon  a  new  phase  of  de- 
^-^  velopment,  still  partly  formative,  for  he  had 
his  new  profession  to  learn ;  but  partly  ajDplicative 
also,  for  he  brought  to  the  study  of  it  his  life-long 
habits  of  work,  both  with  mind  and  body,  and  his 
experience  in  practical  legislation.  One  part  of 
that  experience  stood  him  promptly  in  stead, 
—  the  dealing  with  the  passions  and  caprices  of 
men,  —  for,  on  Saturday,  the  3d  of  June,  when 
he  reached  the  Rhode  Island  camp  at  Jamaica 
Plains,  he  found  it  "  in  great  commotion " ;  the 
men  "  a  factious  set " ;  the  officers  unable  to  control 


88  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

them ;  "  several  companies  with  clubbed  muskets," 
upon  the  point  of  starting  for  home ;  "  the  com- 
missaries beaten  off " ;  an  "  excitement "  which, "  in 
a  few  days  more,  would  have  proved  fatal  to  the 
campaign."  His  arrival  checked  the  confusion, 
men  and  officers  turning  to  him  with  hope,  if  not 
yet  with  perfect  confidence.  "  Never,"  he  writes, 
"was  a  man  so  little  deservins:  so  welcome."  It 
was  hard  work  "  to  limit  people  accustomed  to  so 
much  latitude " ;  but  he  applied  himself  strenu- 
ously to  the  task,  and  "made  several  arrangements 
for  order,"  with  apparently  good  success ;  for,  on 
the  5th,  he  writes  to  his  wife :  "  I  am  well,  but  very 
much  fatigued,  ....  not  having  slept  above  six 
hours  in  two  nights."  Colonel  Yarnum  had  not 
yet  arrived.  "  I  wish  you  would  forward  Colonel 
Yarnum's  regiment,"  he  -writes  to  his  brother  Jacob, 
the  same  day;  "he  will  be  a  welcome  guest  in 
camp  ;  I  expect  much  from  his  and  his  troops' 
example." 

On  the  same  day,  too,  he  was  "  summoned  to  a 
meeting  with  the  generals,"  at  Cambridge,  in  that 
quaint  old  house  which,  with  the  added  associa- 
tions of  a  historian's  hfe  and  a  poet's  birth  therein,^ 
still  looks  across  the  Common,  from  its  modest 
nook,  upon  almost  its  only  remaining  contempo- 
rary, the  Washington  Elm.  It  was  in  this  house 
that  Ward  had  established  his  head-quarters,  and, 
with  Spencer,  Putnam,  Heath,  and   Thomas,  was 

^  Abiel  Holmes,  author  of  the  An-     works   in    it ;    and   Oliver  Wendell 
nals,  lived  and  wrote  his  principal     Holmes  was  bom  in  it. 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  89 

trying  to  give  shape  and  order  to  the  young  army. 
At  first,  each  Colonial  general  commanded  the 
troops  of  his  own  Colony,  independently  of  the 
other  generals.  But  gradually  the  conviction  that 
there  must  be  a  single  head  crept  in,  and,  when 
Washington  came.  Ward  had  already  hegmi  to  be 
looked  up  to  as  commander-in-chief.^ 

In  the  beginning,  Greene  found  enough  to  do 
in  his  own  brigade  ;  for  he  saw  plainly,  that,  with- 
out discipline,  it  would  be  impossible  to  keep  his 
men  together,  much  less  prepare  them  for  service. 
Fortunately,  among  his  officers  there  were  several 
who,  like  himself,  had  been  taught  their  drill  by 
the  drill-master  of  the  Kentish  Guards,^  And 
thus  he  w^as  enabled,  from  the  first,  to  give  the 
exercises  of  his  three  regiments  a  uniformity 
that  was  sadly  wanting  in  the  others,  in  which 
every  colonel  had  a  system  of  his  own,^  neither 
the  Norfolk  exercises  nor  the  regulations  for  1764 
for  the  King's  troops  being  universally  accepted. 

A  daily  exercise  was  ordered  for  commissioned 
and  non-commissioned  officers.  At  four,  the  whole 
battalion  was  mustered  and  paraded,  none  but  the 
sick,  or  those  engaged  in  other  duties,  being  ex- 
cused.*     What  the  first  parades  were,  and  w^hat 

1  Frothingham,    Siege  of  Boston,     war,"  I  think  it  probable  that  Major 
p.  101.  Box  and  the  English  sergeant  were 

2  In   writing  to   Timothy  Picker-     the  same  person. 

ing   in   1779,  he   speaks  with   great  ^  Kapp's  Steuben,  p.  127. 

warmth  of  the  aid  received  from  Ma-  *  Regimental  orders,  MS.     I  am 

jor  Box ;  and  from  what  he  says  of  indebted  for  the  use  of  this  manu- 

this  officer's  services  in  "exercising  script  to  my  kinsman  and  old  school- 

and  forming  independent  companies  mate,  Daniel  Rowland  Greene,  M.D., 

previous  to  the  commencenaent  of  the  of  East  Greenwich. 


90  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

ideas  of  military  etiquette  some  of  the  officers 
and  men  brought  with  them,  the  regimental 
order  of  the  day  for  the  8th  of  June  will  show : 
'•  That  Colonel  Hitchcock's  regiment  parade  on 
Wednesday  every  week,  precisely  at  half  after 
three  o'clock,  and  march  round  the  Square.  The 
Colonel  expects,  in  that  parade,  that  every  officer 
appear  in  his  uniform,  and  that  care  is  taken  by 
the  officers  that  every  soldier  be  clean,  and  as 
neatly  dressed  as  possible ;  and  that  no  one  who 
has  breeches  be  permitted  to  wear  trousers,  nor  to 
parade  without  having  on  his  stockings  and  shoes ; 
and  that,  during  the  march,  no  soldier  be  permit- 
ted to  talk.  As  the  regiment  has  gained  honor 
from  their  regular  performance  of  exercise,  'tis 
fully  expected  by  the  Colonel,  that  the  officers 
spare  no  pains  to  instruct  themselves  in  the  exer- 
cise." The  same  order,  it  may  be  presumed,  ex- 
tended to  the  other  regiments. 

An  order  of  the  10th  provides  for  the  proper 
cleaning  of  the  firelocks :  "  That  the  officers  of  the 
several  companies  in  Colonel  Hitchcock's  reghuent 
call  their  companies  together  this  forenoon,  and 
see  that  every  soldier's  firelock  be  washed  clean, 
and  that  some  non-commissioned  officer  strictly 
attend  while  the  guns  are  washing,  and  take  special 
care  that  no  one  washes  his  gun  without  taking 
off  the  lock.  'T  is  expected  that  every  company 
washes  their  firelocks  with  hot  water." 

An  order  of  the  4th  of  July  directs, "  That  every 
captain  in  Colonel  Hitchcock's  regiment  make  a 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATH.INAEL    GREENE.  91 

return  of  the  number  of  firelocks,  of  the  number 
of  rounds  of  powder  and  ball,  number  of  tools  and 
implements  of  all  kinds  in  his  company,  and  who- 
ever has  lost  any  implements,  the  names  of  the 
persons  who  lost  them,  —  the  return  to  be  made 
this  day." 

It  was  found,  too,  upon  trial,  that  the  daily  ex- 
ercise already  established  was  not  sufficient  to 
overcome  those  inequalities  wdiich  are  always 
found  where  many  study  the  same  thing  together. 
On  the  6th  of  July  it  was  ordered,  "  That  a  drill 
be  established  for  the  instruction  of  those  who  are 
deficient  in  exercise,  from  ten  to  eleven  o'clock  in 
the  forenoon  every  day;  that  the  drill  be  com- 
manded either  by  a  commissioned  or  a  non- 
commissioned officer  of  the  several  companies  by 
rotation,  beginning  with  Captain  Thayer's  com- 
pany ;  that  the  drill  parade  for  exercise  before  the 
Laboratory ;  and  't  is  expected  that  every  officer 
will  strictly  see  that  all  those  who  are  deficient  in 
exercise  in  their  company  constantly  attend  the 
same  at  the  time  fixed  for  holding  the  drill."  By 
the  28th  of  June,  Greene  was  enabled  to  write 
that,  '''  though  raw,  irregular,  and  undisciplined," 
his  men  were  "under  much  better  government 
than  any  round  about  Boston." 

The  greatest  obstacle  to  the  establishment  of 
good  discipline  was  in  the  officers  rather  than  the 
men.  Some  did  their  duty;  but  for  others,  the 
transition  from  the  equality  of  home  life  to  the  dis- 
tinctions of  camp  was  exceedingly  difficult.    "  Some 


92  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

captains,  and  many  subordinate  officers,  neglect 
their  duty,"  Avrites  Greene ;  "  some  through  fear  of 
offending  their  soldiers,  some  through  laziness,  and 
some  through  obstinacy.  This  makes  the  task  of 
the  field  officers  very  laborious.  I  have  warned 
them  of  their  negligence  many  times,  and  am  de- 
termined to  break  every  one  for  the  future  who 
shall  lay  himself  open  to  it."  A  corporal  in  Hitch- 
cock's regiment  had  already  been  "  reduced  to  the 
ranks  for  repeated  neglect  of  duty,  and  disobe- 
dience to  his  captain."^ 

Another  great  obstacle  to  good  order  was  drunk- 
enness. The  first  court-martial  recorded  in  Hitch- 
cock's orderly-book  was  a  regimental  court-martial 
called  to  decide  upon  a  case  of  intoxication.  Jere- 
miah Olney,  whose  name  we  shall  meet  often  here- 
after, was  president,  and  Stephen  Olney  a  member. 
The  culprit  was  Peter  Young,  who,  being  "  sent  for 
and  examined,  plead  not  guilty  of  the  charge. 
Captain  John  Angell,  captain  of  the  guard,  June 
21,  deposeth  and  saith,  that  the  prisoner,  Peter 
Young,  was  confined  in  the  guard-house  by  Colo- 
nel Miller,  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,  for  being  found 
in  liquor ;  who,  when  confined,  behaved  himself  in 
a  very  indecent  and  contemptuous  manner ;  damn- 
ing the  man  that  confined  him,  and  also  the  man 
that  kept  him  in  confinement,  throwing  his  hat 
about  the  guard-house.  And  the  prisoner  being 
present  heard  Captain  Angell's  evidence,  and  said 
he  had  no  evidence  to  confute   the  same.      The 

1  Orderly-book,  ut  sup. 


1775.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  93 

Court,  upon  mature  deliberation,  are  of  opinion 
that  the  prisoner,  Peter  Young,  be  sentenced  to 
ride  the  wooden  horse  fifteen  minutes,  with  two 
guns  tied  at  his  feet,  and  ten  minutes  without 
guns,  as  an  adequate  punishment  for  his  crime." 

This,  however,  was  merely  a  meeting  of  individ- 
ual cases.  To  meet  the  evil  itself,  Greene  wrote 
directly  to  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachu- 
setts, requesting  them  to  interpose  their  authority, 
and  prevent  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  with- 
in the  limits  of  the  camp.^ 

It  was  not  easy  to  adapt  civil  punishments  to 
military  offences.  Legislators  shrank  at  first 
from  the  severity  which,  as  the  war  continued, 
became  almost  habitual.  In  the  Rhode  Island 
"Rules  and  Orders  for  the  Army  of  Observation," 
only  three  articles  out  of  fifty-three  impose  capital 
punishment ;  and  in  two  out  of  those  three  the 
court-martial  is  left  free  to  order  "  such  other  pun- 
ishment" as  it  may  think  best.  Even  whipping, 
though  familiar  to  the  public  mind,  is  limited  to 
the  Mosaic  rule  of  "  thirty-nine  stripes " ;  and  in 
practice  does  not,  at  first,  exceed  fifteen,  ten,  and 
sometimes  five.^ 

It  was  a  great  change  for  Greene,  from  the  quiet 
life  of  Coventry.  "  My  task,"  he  writes,  "  is  hard, 
and  fatigue  great.  I  go  to  bed  late,  and  rise  early. 
The  number  of  applications  you  cannot  conceive 

1  Journals  of  the  Prov.  Cong,  of  2  Rhode  Island  Colonial  Records, 
Mass,  p.  461.  Greene's  letter  has  not  Vol.  VII.  p.  340,  Rules,  &c..  Arts. 
been  preserved.  24,  25,  30,  and  50, 


94  LIFE   OF   NATH.iNAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

of,  without  being  present  to  observe  the  round  of 
business."  He  had  wondered,  in  Rhode  Island,  at 
finding  himself  singled  out  by  his  acquaintances 
for  special  attentions.  And  now  he  felt  something 
of  the  same  kind  of  surprise  at  "  the  great  re- 
spect "  with  which  he  was  treated  by  "  the  general 
officers  of  the  neighboring  camps."  "  Were  I,"  he 
writes,  "to  estimate  my  value  by  the  attention 
paid  to  my  opinion,  I  should  have  reason  to  think 
myself  some  considerable  personage."  But  he  lays 
it  all  to  the  account  of  his  office.  "Fatal  expe- 
rience," he  adds,  "  teaches  me  every  day,  that  man- 
kind are  apt  to  pay  deference  to  station,  and  not  to 
merit.  Therefore,  when  I  find  myself  surrounded 
by  their  flattering  attentions,  I  consider  them  as 
due  to  my  office,  and  not  to  me."  His  self-reliance 
had  none  of  that  presum^^tuous  contempt  for  the 
opinions  of  others  in  it,  which  is  so  common  in 
self-made  men.  "  I  shall  study  to  deserve  well,"  he 
said ;  "  but  cannot  but  lament  the  great  defects  I 
find  in  myself  to  discharge,  with  honor  and  justice, 
the  important  trust  committed  to  my  care."  But 
as,  while  a  mere  anchor-smith  at  Coventry,  Judge 
Howel  had  marked  him  out  as  a  "very  extraor- 
dinary man " ;  so  at  Cambridge,  Timothy  Picker- 
ing, hearing  his  questions  and  remarks  as  president 
of  a  courtrmartial,  pronounced  him  "  a  man  of  true 
military  genius,  and  decidedly  the  first  man  in  the 
Court."  ^  None  were  readier  to  acknowledge  his 
superiority  than  the   officers  and  men   under  his 

1  Caldwell's  Life  of  Greene,  p.  41. 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.\EL    GREENE.  95 

immediate  command.  "My  own  officers  and  men," 
he  writes,  "are  generally  well  satisfied,  —  nay,  I 
have  not  heard  one  complaint." 

It  is  not  probable  that  he  took  part  in  planning 
the  occupation  of  Bunker  Hill,  for  on  the  day  of 
the  battle  he  was  in  Ehode  Island.  The  tidings 
reached  him  towards  evening.  He  immediately 
mounted  his  horse,  and,  riding  "  all  night,"  arrived 
at  camp  "  next  day  morning,  w^hen  I  found  Charles- 
town  all  burnt  to  ashes,  and  the  troops  engaged  on 
the  other  side  of  Cambridge  Bay."  A  thousand 
men  were  sent  over  from  Roxbury,  to  work  upon 
the  intrenchments  at  Prospect  Hill;  and  among 
them,  a  hundred  from  his  brigade,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Christopher  Greene,  then  a  major  in  Var- 
num's  reofiment.  The  excitement  of  battle  was 
not  yet  passed  away.  The  British  were  "  con- 
stantly firing  cannon-shot,"  both  on  the  new  posi- 
tions at  Prospect  and  Winter  Hill,  and  the  earlier 
one  at  Roxbury,  where  part  of  Greene's  force  was 
now  stationed.  It  was  the  first  time  that  he  had 
seen  balls  and  shells  flying  in  earnest.  The  "  troops 
were  in  high  spirits " ;  and  ten  days  later,  when 
he  put  together  the  conflicting  statements  of  the 
losses  on  both  sides,  he  "  wished  that  we  could  sell 
them  another  hill  at  the  same  price." 

Everything  now  bore  the  aspect  of  an  active 
siege.  The  "enemy  made  several  feints  to  de- 
ceive "  the  Americans,  but  were  too  "  narrowly 
watched"  to  succeed.  From  the  intrenchments 
that  were  fast  rising  on  the  top  of  Prospect  Hill, 


96  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1775. 

the  British  soldiers  could  be  seen,  with  the  naked 
eye,  working  hard  to  convert  the  little  redoubt 
which  they  had  won,  at  the  sacrifice  of  so  much 
blood,  into  an  impregnable  fortress.  Shells  were 
thrown  into  Roxbury.  The  English  general 
seemed  determined  to  familiarize  his  enemy  with 
danger. 

But  there  was  another  danger  to  guard  against, 
—  the  demoralization  of  the  troops,  through  the 
dishonesty  of  the  agents  to  whom  they  looked  for 
their  daily  supplies.  It  is  a  thankless  task  to  tell 
the  whole  truth  about  the  men  of  those  days ;  but 
what  are  the  lessons  of  history,  if  they  are  to  be 
moulded  and  colored  by  the  vanity  or  caprice  of 
the  historian  ?  The  war  of  independence  brought 
great  virtues  into  play,  but  it  brought  great  vices, 
too,  —  faithless  agents,  heartless  speculators,  some 
cowards,  some  traitors,  many  selfish  partisans,  and 
not  a  few  lukewarm  patriots.  We  shall  find  men 
of  each  of  these  classes,  crossing  the  path  of  the 
true  and  faithful,  all  through  the  war,  and  in  every 
part  of  the  country.  We  first  meet  them  in  the 
camp  before  Boston. 

"There  is  continual  complaints  made  to  me," 
writes  Greene  to  Deputy-Governor  Cooke  of  Rhode 
Island,  on  the  4th  of  July,  "  about  the  provisions 
falling  short,  some  barrels  not  having  much  more 
than  one  half  and  two  thirds  the  quantity  they 
ought  to  contain.  I  wish  your  Honor  would  de- 
sire the  committee  throughout  the  Colony  to  ex- 
amine all  the  provisions  sent  to  camp,  for  I  am 


1775.]  LIFE    OF  NATHANAEL    GREENE.  97 

very  positive  they  must  have  been  greatly  imposed 
upon.  The  field  officers  are  continually  complain- 
mg  to  me  of  the  imposition,  and  requesting  me  to 
have  a  stop  put  to  it  as  soon  as  possible.  Many 
people  in  camp  suspects  the  fidelity  of  the  com- 
mittee, to  suffer  such  repeated  impositions,  and 
still  no  check  put  to  them.  Such  unfavorable 
sentiments  propagated  abroad  must  do  great  in- 
jury to  their  characters,  and  perhaps  render  it  very 
difficult  for  them  to  settle  their  accounts  with  the 
Colony,  and  do  justice  to  themselves  and  those 
they  are  concerned  with. 

"A  quantity  of  bread  arrived  from  Providence 
last  week,  and  to-day  the  much  greater  part  was 
mouldy  and  unfit  for  use.  (From)  the  first  parcel 
I  picked  out  what  was  good,  and  condemned  the 
rest.  This  to-day  appears  all  bad,  upon  examina- 
tion, except  a  few  single  baskets.  Such  bread  being 
brought  here  begets  jealousy  among  the  people, 
that  they  are  going  to  be  imposed  upon ;  and  little 
grievances  are  sufficient  reasons  to  ground  their 
complaints  and  murmurs  upon,  especially  as  they 
find  themselves  strongly  supported  by  their  friends 
and  relations  that  comes  to  visit  the  troops  in  their 
quarters.  There  was  a  quantity  of  beef  con- 
demned last  week,  as  being  horse-meat.  When  it 
first  took  rise,  I  thought  it  merely  chimerical.  But 
Captain  Jerry  Olney,  Captain  Kitt  Olney,  and  many 
others,  came  and  informed  me,  that  the  people  had 
a  conceit  that  it  was  horse-flesh;  that  they  had 
gone  without  victuals  all  day,  and  they  desired  me 


98  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

to  inquire  into  the  matter.  I,  accordingly,  did  get 
a  jury  of  butchers  to  examine  it,  and  they  con- 
demned it  as  unfit  for  use,  a  considerable  part 
being  horse-flesh.  Captain  John  Collins,  of  New- 
port, happened  to  be  at  camp  at  the  same  time,  and 
he  said  he  had  seen  abundance  of  horse-beef,  and 
he  said  he  was  confident  this  was  of  that  kind. 
You  must,  worthy  sir,  be  sensible  that  the  task  is 
difficult,  and  trouble  great,  to  form  people  into  any 
regrular  oi-overnment  that  comes  out  with  minds 
possessed  with  notions  of  liberty  that  is  nothing 
short  of  licentiousness.  I  am  willing  to  spend, 
and  be  spent,  in  so  righteous  a  cause ;  but  unless  I 
am  supported  by  the  helping  hand  of  government, 
my  endeavors  will  be  defeated,  and  your  expecta- 
tions blasted.  God  knows,  I  am  far  from  com- 
plaining out  of  prejudice  to  any  mortal;  but 
necessity  on  the  one  hand,  and  justice  on  the 
other,  calls  on  me  to  represent  the  matter  to  you, 
that  the  evil  may  be  put  a  stop  to  as  early  as  pos- 
sible. Many  officers  blames  me  for  being  so  silent 
upon  the  occasion,  and  thinks  I  don't  do  justice  to 
the  Colony ;  but  as  I  am  fully  sensible  that  many 
acts  upon  such  narrow  principles  of  policy  influ- 
enced by  party  and  prejudice,  I  have  carefully 
studied  to  avoid  their  captious  advice.  But  from 
mature  deliberation,  I  have  thought  it  prudent 
to  make  you  acquainted  with  the  state  of  the  mat- 
ter, that  you  may  take  such  steps  to  remove  the 
complaint  as  the  subject  requires.  If  the  troops 
are   comfortably  subsisted,  if  they  don't  do  their 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATH.\Js\iEL    GREENE.  99 

duty,  tliey  can  be  punished,  with  great  justice : 
but  if  they  are  not  well  fed,  and  properly  clad, 
they  excuse  all  their  misconduct  from  one  or  the 
other  reason." 

We  shall  meet  these  complaints  again,  from  time 
to  time,  in  other  forms,  but  always  proceeding  from 
the  same  cause,  —  the  love  of  dishonest  gain,  and 
indifference  to  the  public  interest.  Meanwhile, 
Congress  had  taken  the  decisive  step,  upon  which 
the  success  of  the  war  depended.  On  the  15th  of 
June,  Washington  had  been  chosen  commander-in- 
chief  On  the  2d  of  July,  about  two  in  the  after- 
noon, he  reached  Cambridge,  with  an  escort  of 
mounted  citizens  and  a  troop  of  light  horse.  It 
was  Sunday,  but  a  brisk  cannonade  upon  Roxbury 
had  been  kept  up  throughout  the  morning  from  the 
British  lines  on  Boston  Neck.  Washington  must 
had  heard  it  all  tlirous-h  his  morninor  ride.^  Next 
day,  he  took  formal  command  of  the  army.  Some, 
perhaps,  as  they  saw  him  draw  his  sword  under 
the  broad  elm  which  still  extends  its  protecting 
branches  over  the  western  border  of  Cambridge 
Common,  remembered,  that,  a  few  years  before, 
they  had  listened  to  Whitefield  under  that  same 
tree.  Only  the  troops  stationed  at  Cambridge 
would  seem  to  have  been  there ;  for  on  the  4th 
Greene  writes:  "I  sent  a  detachment  to-day  of  two 
hundred  men,  commanded  by  a  colonel,  lieutenant- 
colonel,  and  major,  with  a  letter  of  address,  to  wel- 
come his  Excellency  to  camp.      The  detachment 

1  Frothingham,  Siege  of  Boston,  pp.  213,  214. 


100  LITE   OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1775. 

met  with  a  very  gracious  reception,  and  his  Excel- 
lency returned  me  a  very  polite  answer,  and  invi- 
tation to  visit  him  at  his  quarters." 

But  there  was  a  man  at  Washington's  side  under 
that  tree,  to  whom  all  eyes  turned  eagerly,  when 
they  had  looked  their  fill  at  the  majestic  figure  of 
the  Commander-in-chief, — a  tall  man,  lank  and  thin, 
with  a  huge  nose,  a  satirical  mouth,  and  restless 
eyes,  who  sat  his  horse  as  if  he  had  often  ridden  at 
fox-hunts  in  England,  and  wore  his  uniform  with 
a  cynical  disregard  of  common  opinion,  —  Charles 
Lee,  the  most  accomplished  soldier  in  the  whole 
army,  men  said,  and  whose  science,  they  thought, 
was  to  be  disinterestedly  employed  for  us,  because 
our  cause  was  the  cause  of  freedom.  The  next 
fifteen  months  will  show  how  far  this  opinion  was 
just. 

How  Greene  felt  at  the  idea  of  a  commander-in- 
chief  the  letter  from  which  I  have  just  quoted  will 
show :  "  A  few  minutes  after  the  detachment  was 
drawn  out,  I  received  a  letter  directed  to  his  Ex- 
cellency, under  cover  of  one  to  me,  from  Mr.  Ward, 
Secretary,  who  acquaints  me  that  the  General 
Assembly  has  appointed  him  to  the  command  of 
our  troops ;  all  of  which  is  perfectly  agreeable,  and 
I  shall  conduct  myself  accordingly ;  and  hope,  by 
his  wise  directions,  accompanied  with  my  best  en- 
deavors, and  that  of  all  my  officers,  to  promote  the 
service  of  the  Colony,  agreeable  to  their  wishes.  I 
expect  the  General  next  day  after  to-morrow  to 
visit  our  camp." 


1775.]  LIFE   OF   NATHAN.IEL    GREENE.  101 

How  he  felt  towards  Washington,  he  tells  Sam- 
uel Ward,  from  Roxbury,  ten  days  later,  —  not  the 
Samuel  he  had  written  long  letters  to  from  Coven- 
try, for  that  Samuel  was  with  him,  as  a  captain  in 
Varnum's  regiment,  —  but  Samuel  Ward  the  flither, 
who  had  sat  with  Washington  in  Congress  Hall,  and 
voted  to  send  him  to  Cambridge,  as  the  fittest  man 
for  the  office  on  whose  right  filling  the  whole  con- 
test turned.  To  him,  then,  Greene  writes,  on  the 
14th  of  July :  "  His  Excellency,  General  Washing- 
ton, has  arrived  amongst  us,  universally  admired. 
Joy  was  visible  in  every  countenance,  and  it  seemed 
as  if  the  spirit  of  conquest  breathed  through  the 
whole  army.  I  hope  we  shall  be  taught  to  copy 
his  example,  and  to  prefer  the  love  of  liberty,  in 
this  time  of  public  danger,  to  all  the  soft  pleasures 
of  domestic  life,  and  support  ourselves  with  manly 
fortitude  amidst  all  the  dangers  and  hardships  that 
attend  a  state  of  war.  And  I  doubt  not,  under 
the  General's  wise  direction,  we  shall  establish 
such  excellent  order  and  strictness  of  discipline 
as  to  invite  victory  to  attend  him  wherever  he 
goes." 

And  how  did  Washington  first  meet  him  whom, 
from  that  time  forward,  he  was  never  to  meet  with- 
out an  expanding  of  the  heart?  Of  their  first 
meeting  and  first  intercourse  I  know  nothing  ;  but 
the  qualities  which  had  attracted  the  attention  of 
Pickering,  when  only  a  casual  observer,  could  not 
have  been  hidden  long  from  so  sagacious  an  ob- 
server as  Washington,  when  there  were  such  mo- 
mentous questions  to  call  them  forth. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Washington's  Arrival  the  Beginnins  of  a  New  Period.  —  His  Staff.  — 
MifBin.  —  Trumbull.  —  Reed.  —  Gates.  —  Army  of  the  United  Col- 
onies. —  New  Organization.  —  Three  Grand  Divisions.  —  Greene  on 
Prospect  Hill.  —  Gradual  extension  of  the  Works.  —  Death  of  Ad- 
jutant Mumford.  —  All  Eyes  fixed  on  Boston.  —  Parties  to  Camp. — 
The  Country  calls  for  a  Battle.  —  Want  of  Powder.  —  AVaste  of 
Powder.  —  Preparations  for  Defence.  —  Extracts  from  General  Or- 
ders. 

'VX/'ITH  Washington's  arrival  in  camp  a  new 
'  ^  period  begins,  —  a  jieriod  of  system  and  or- 
ganization, still  very  imperfect  it  is  true,  but  nev- 
ertheless a  great  advance  upon  the  disconnected 
and  irregular  condition  in  which  the  troops  had 
lived  since  they  first  broke  ground  before  Bos- 
ton. Washington's  own  experience  with  regular 
troops  had  been  confined  to  his  short  service  on 
Braddock's  staff";  and,  like  most  of  his  officers,  he 
had  a  great  deal  to  learn.  But  he  was  fiimiliar 
with  the  common  text-books,  —  very  incomplete 
and  meagre  guides  as  yet,  —  had  had  full  expe- 
rience of  irregular  troops,  and  a  feeble  govern- 
ment ;  had  lived  in  camp ;  provided  for  the  sup- 
plies of  his  men ;  and  learnt  how  to  deal  with 
prejudices,  ignorance,  obstinacy,  and  sloth.  His 
staff"  was  not  yet  what  it  afterwards  became  ;  but 
there  were   men  on  it  whose  names  interest  us 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  103 

still,  —  Mifflin,  brave  and  eloquent,  once,  like 
Greene,  a  Quaker,  and  who  now  stood  high  in 
Washington's  confidence,  though  at  a  later  day  he 
became  a  bitter  enemy  both  of  Washington  and 
Greene ;  Trumbull,  in  whose  young  mind  the  in- 
stincts of  the  artist  were  already  struggling  with 
the  ambition  of  military  distinction  ;  Reed,  whose 
fine  culture  and  pleasing  address  made  him  delight- 
ful as  a  companion,  while  his  command  of  a  free 
and  flowing  style,  and  his  facility  in  seizing  upon 
the  important  points  of  his  subject,  rendered  his 
services,  as  secretary,  invaluable ;  and  Gates,  the 
adjutant-general,  who  brought  with  him  honorable 
recollections  of  the  old  French  war,  and  a  heart  not 
yet  corrupted  by  flattery  and  unmerited  success. 

The  first  step  in  organization  was  to  convert  the 
independent  Colonial  bands,  which  enthusiasm  had 
brought  together,  into  a  regular  army,  —  the  army 
of  the  United  Colonies.  "  I  am  informed  by  his 
Excellency,"  writes  Greene,  "  that  the  idea  of  Col- 
ony troops  is  to  be  abolished,  and  that  the  whole 
army  is  to  be  formed  into  brigades,  and  the  gen- 
erals to  be  appointed  by  the  Congress."  Great  was 
the  commotion  in  camp  when  these  tidings  became 
public,  and  men  began  to  ask  each  other  anxiously 
who  the  new  generals  were  to  be.  Greene  viewed 
these  incipient  jealousies  with  regret.  "  I  should 
be  extremely  sorry,"  he  writes,  "  for  any  schisms 
that  might  creep  in  through  the  ports  of  honor, 
from  real  or  imaginary  degradation."  For  his  own 
part,  "if  continued,"  he  was  prepared  to  "serve 


104  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

cheerfully  " ;  if  not,  to  "  submit  patiently I 

wish  that  good  and  able  men  may  be  the  objects  of 
the  Continental  choice,  rather  than  subjects  of  par- 
ticular interests."  When  the  appointments  were 
announced,  he  found  himself  last  on  the  list  as 
brigadier-general. 

The  army  was  divided  into  three  grand  divisions, 
Greene  being  placed,  with  seven  regiments,  in  the 
left  wing,  under  General  Lee,  with  Sullivan,  at  the 
head  of  six  regiments,  for  senior  brigadier,  —  in  all, 
five  thousand  six  hundred  and  seventy-seven  men. 
His  station  was  at  Prospect  Hill,  —  the  Mount  Pis- 
gah  of  some  of  the  old  maps,  —  with  "  the  enemy's 
lines  and  buildings  on  Bunker  Hill,  and  the  desola- 
tion at  Charlestown,"  ^  full  in  view.  Not  far  from 
the  foot  of  the  hill  was  the  farm-house  in  which 
Lee  had  taken  up  his  quarters,  —  a  comfortable 
two-story  building,  witli  convenient  rooms,  and  a 
pleasant  view,  and  all  too  good,  even  in  its  old  age, 
to  be  called  "  Hobgoblin  Hall."  -  And  within  two 
miles,  by  a  pleasant  road,  which  soon  became  as 
familiar  to  him  as  the  green  lanes  that  lead  from 
Potowomut  to  Coventry,  stood  the  fine  old  man- 
sion which,  although  Sparks  and  Everett  have 
since  lived  in  it,  and  Longfellow  has  consecrated 
it  as  the  birthplace  of  America's  greatest  poems, 
is  still  known,  far  and  near,  as  the  head-quarters  of 
Washington. 

1  Belknap's  Diary,  Oct.  23.     In  a  chimneys  and  rubbish." — Force,  Am. 

letter  of  the   times,  Charlestown    is  Archives,  4th  Series,  Vol.  III.  p.  73. 

said  to  be  "now  in  ashes,  and  noth-  '^  Letters  of  Mrs.  Adams,  p.  64. 
jng  to  be  seen  of  that  fine  town  but 


1775.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  105 

Three  of  the  regiments  in  Greene's  brigade 
were  his  own  Rhode-Islanders,  —  ten  hundred  and 
eighty-five  men  in  all,  —  led  by  Yarnum,  Hitch- 
cock, and  Church,  with  men  of  strong  wills,  like 
Christopher  Greene  and  the  two  Olneys  and  the 
two  Angells  and  Simeon  Thayer,  and  of  rich  cul- 
ture, like  Samuel  Ward,  for  majors  and  captains 
and  lieutenants.  No  troops  in  the  whole  army 
were  equipped  and  appointed  as  they  were,  with 
their  tents  and  marquees,  and  the  "  four  excellent 
field-pieces,"  ^  which  had  once  formed  part  of  the 
garrison  of  Fort  George.  Greene  "spared  no 
pains,  night  nor  day,  to  teach  them  their  duty  " ; 
and,  fully  seconded  by  most  of  his  officers,  —  espe- 
cially by  Yarnum  and  Hitchcock,  "  excellent  disci- 
plinarians,"  —  succeeded  in  bringing  them  to  a 
high  state  of  efficiency.  Lee  bestowed  great  en- 
comiums upon  their  bearing  and  discipline.  "  I 
flatter  myself,"  writes  Greene,  "  that  they  compara- 
tively deserve  it."  Four  Massachusetts  regiments, 
—  seventeen  hundred  and  thirteen  men, —  under 
Whitcomb,  Gardner,  Brewer,  and  Little,  com- 
pleted his  brigade." 

The  irreojular  leao;uer  became  a  reorular  sieore. 
One  by  one  the  hills  and  strong  positions  were 
occupied,  and  secured  by  strong  works,  —  Pros- 
pect, Winter,  Ploughed,  and  Cobble  Hills,  Lech- 
mere  Point,  Sewall's  Farm,  "  a  semicircle  of  eight 
or  nine  miles,"  with  the  enemy  in  "  the  centre, .... 

1  Essex  Gazette,  quoted  by  Froth-         -  I  take  my  numbers  from  Froth- 
ingham,  Siege  of  Boston,  p.  101,  note,     ingham,  Siege  of  Boston,  p.  219. 


106  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

with  entire  command  of  the  water."  ^  Every  day 
added  to  the  streno-th  of  the  American  Hnes.  Al- 
most  every  day,  too,  there  was  a  skirmish,  or  a  sur- 
prise, or  a  cannonade,  shells  and  balls  falling  thick 
within  the  American  works,  sometimes  killing, 
sometimes  maiming,  but  producing,  in  the  main, 
"no  other  effect  than  to  inure  the  Americans  to 
danger," "-  and  make  them  ask,  if,  with  upwards  of 
two  thousand  shot  and  shells,  they  have  killed 
only  twelve  persons,  "  how  many  'shot  and  bombs 
will  it  require  to  subdue  the  whole  of  his  Majesty's 
rebellious  subjects?"^  "I  have  no  doubt,"  Greene 
writes  to  his  wife, "  that  I  shall  be  safely  conducted 
through  the  shower  of  Tory  hail.  But  whatever 
be  my  fate,  let  my  reputation  stand  fair  for  the 
inspection  of  all  inquiring  friends." 

Yet  the  first  sight  of  a  violent  death,  within 
his  own  immediate  circle,  came  upon  him  with  a 
shock.  Adjutant  Mumford,  of  East  Greenwich, — 
a  member  of  Yarnum's  regiment,  —  had  his  head 
taken  off  by  a  cannon-ball.  "  My  sweet  angel,"  — 
Greene  writes  to  his  wife,  immediately  after, — 
"  the  anxiety  that  you  must  feel  at  the  unhappy  fate 
of  Mr.  Mumford,  the  tender  sympathy  for  the  dis- 
tress of  his  poor  lady,  the  fears  and  apprehensions 
for  my  safety,  under  your  present  debilitated  state, 
must  be  a  weight  too  great  for  you  to  support. 
We  are  all  in  the  hands  of  the  great  Jehovah ;  to 
him  let  us  look  for  protection.     I  trust  that  our  con- 

1  Washington  to  his  brother.   Writ-         ^  Tliacher's  Military  Journal,  Jan- 
ings,  Vol.  III.  p.  39.  uary  18,  177G. 

2  Heath's  Memoirs,  p.  43. 


1775.]  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  107 

troversy  is  a  righteous  one ;  and  although  many  of 
our  friends  and  relatives  may  suffer  an  untimely 
fate,  yet  we  must  consider  the  evil  sanctified  by 
the  righteousness  of  the  dispute.  Let  us,  then, 
put  our  confidence  in  God,  and  recommend  our 
souls  to  his  care.  Stifle  your  own  grief,  my  sweet 
creature,  and  offer  a  small  tribute  of  consolation  to 
the  afflicted  widow.  I  could  wish,  from  my  soul, 
that  you  was  removed  from  this  scene  of  horror, 
altogether  inconsistent  with  the  finer  feelings  of  a 
delicate  mind.  I  would  come  and  see  you,  but 
prudence  forbids  my  absence.  I  sent  Colonel  Var- 
num  to  communicate  to  you  the  wretched  loss  his 
poor  lady  has  met  with.  My  heart  melts  with 
pity,  but  dumb  silence  must  speak  my  grief  until  I 
am  in  a  situation  to  give  scope  to  the  natural  sen- 
timent of  the  human  heart.  I  hope  his  good  sense 
and  knowledge  of  the  human  heart  will  point  out 
the  most  prudent  method." 

Before  another  year  was  passed,  his  eye  had 
become  more  familiar  with  violent  death,  and  he 
would  hardly  have  thought  of  sending  a  field 
officer  to  annomice  such  an  event.  But  at  first,  the 
true  heart  still  pleaded  earnestly  against  indurat- 
insT  custom. 

Meanwhile,  from  far  and  near,  all  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  Boston.  "  The  roads  were  lined  with  specta- 
tors." Parties  were  formed  to  go  and  see  the  camp, 
many  coming  from  a  great  distance,  and  looking, 
some  with  admiration,  some  with  terror,  —  all  with 
wonder,  —  at  the  forts,  "bomb  proof";   at  breast^ 


108  LIFE   OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

works,  "  seventeen  feet  thick " ;  at  the  trenches, 
"  wide  and  deep  "  ;  at  the  "  forked  impediments  " 
for  guarding  the  approaches  to  them.^  Sometimes, 
in  the  midst  of  their  gazing,  they  would  see  a 
party  of  officers  go  by  on  horseback,  and  distin- 
guishing, in  the  midst  of  them,  one  with  a  "  noble 
and  majestic  air,  ....  tall  and  well-proportioned," 
would  say  to  each  other,  '•  That  is  his  Excel- 
lency! that  is  General  Washington!"  not  failing, 
at  the  same  time,  to  take  note  of  his  "  blue  coat, 
with  buff-colored  facings ;  the  rich  epaulette  on 
each  shoulder ;  the  buff  underdress ;  elegant,  small 
sword,  and  black  cockade  in  his  hat."  ^  Sometimes 
this  pleasure  excursion  had  a  fatal  ending.  Trum- 
bull's sister,  the  wife  of  Colonel  Huntington,  re- 
ceived such  a  shock  from  what  she  saw,  that  she 
went  mad,  and  soon  after  died.'^  But  to  the 
greater  part  of  those  ,whom  curiosity  or  family 
attachment  brought  there  it  was  a  wild,  pic- 
turesque scene,  full  of  strange  excitement.  To 
their  inexperienced  eyes,  the  morning  prayers,  fol- 
lowed by  the  reading  of  the  orders  of  the  day; 
"the  great  distinction  between  officers  and  sol- 
diers," everybody  being  "  made  to  know  his  place, 
and  keep  in  it,  or  be  tied  up,  and  receive  thirty  or 
forty  lashes  "  ;  and  "  the  thousands  at  work  every 
day,  from  four  to  eleven,"  gave  the  army  a  general 
air  of  discipline  and  order,  and  inspired  a  degree 
of  confidence  which  its  leaders  were  far  from  shar- 

1  Letter    cited    in    Frothingham's         ^  Thacher's  Military  Journal,  Ju- 
Sicj;e  of  Boston,  p.  275.     The  name     ly  20,  1775. 
of  the  writer  is  not  given.  ^  Trumbiill's  Autobiography,  p.  22. 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  109 

ing.  If,  without  this  preparation,  they  had  held 
Bunker  Hill  so  long  against  the  best  troops  in  the 
British  army,  why  can  they  not,  with  the  in- 
creased strength  which  discipline  gives  them,  drive 
the  enemy  from  Boston  ?  The  country  grew  clam- 
orous for  another  battle. 

The  subject  was  brought  up  more  than  once  in 
council  of  war.  The  first  council  had  determined 
not  to  occupy  Dorchester,  nor  to  defend  it  if  the 
British  should  attempt  to  occupy  it.  But  shall 
they  be  left  in  undisturbed  possession  of  Boston  ? 
Greene  felt  that  "an  attack  upon  a  town,  gar- 
risoned with  eight  thousand  regular  troops,  was 
a  serious  object."  He  knew,  as  Washington  did, 
that,  however  veteran-like  the  troops  might  appear 
to  common  eyes,  to  the  soldier's  eye  they  were  still 
"  raw  and  undisciplined."  Yet  he  thought  that  an 
attack,  with  twenty  thousand  men,  might  succeed ; 
"  but  of  an  army  of  twenty  thousand  men,"  he 
writes,  "  it  will  be  hard  if  we  cannot  find  eight 
thousand  who  will  fight  manfully.  There  must  be 
some  cowards  among  them  as  well  as  among  us." 

There  were  anxious  hours,  as  summer  and  au- 
tumn wore  slowly  on.  On  the  3d  of  August  a 
council  was  held  at  head-quarters,  and  it  was  found 
that,  owing  to  a  mistake  in  the  report  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts committee,  instead  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty-five  quarter-casks  of  powder  in  the  maga- 
zine, as  had  been  supposed,  there  were  only  thirty- 
five  half-barrels,  or  not  half  a  pound  a  man.  When 
Washington  heard  the  report,  he  was  so  much  struck 


110  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

by  the  danger  "that  he  did  not  utter  a  word  for 
half  an  hour;  every  one  else  was  equally  surprised. 
Messengers  were  despatched  to  all  the  Southern 
Colonies  to  call  in  their  stores."^  The  dangerous 
secret  was  carefully  kept  from  the  army.  But 
Greene  knew  it ;  and  as  he  looked  upon  his  silent 
cannon,  and  listened  to  the  frequent  roar  of  the 
enemy's  cannon,  or  marked  at  night  "  the  track  of 
their  shells, —  a  long  train  of  light  on  the  dark 
sky,"^ — he  must  have  often  asked  himself,  "How 
can  I  hold  this  hill,  if  they  come  out  now  ?  " 

It  was  hard  to  enforce  even  the  most  salutary 
rules  in  an  army  in  which  a  large  proportion  of 
the  officers  stood  more  in  need  of  discipline  than 
their  men.  AVhen  the  danger  from  a  deficiency 
of  powder  was  passed,  a  new  danger  arose,  from 
the  "  wanton  waste  "  of  it.  "  There  being,"  say 
Greene's  orders  for  November  7,  "an  open  and 
daring  violation  of  a  general  order,  in  firing  at 
geese,  as  they  pass  over  the  camp,  General  Greene 
gives  positive  orders,  that  any  person  that  fires  for 
the  future  be  immediatel}'  put  under  guard.  Every 
officer  that  stands  an  idle  spectator,  and  sees  such  a 
wanton  waste  of  powder,  and  don't  do  his  utmost 
to  suppress  the  evil,  may  expect  to  be  reported." 

In  the  orders  of  the  9th,  the  same  suljject 
recurs,  under  another  form :  "  That  all  the  car- 
tridges delivered  out  this  day,  if  the  bunches  are 
not  broke,  the  captains  collect  them  in  their  sev- 
eral companies,  and  deliver  them  out  when  occasion 

1  Sullivan  to  New  Hampshire  Com-        -  Trumbull's  Autobiography,  pp. 
mittec  of  Safety,  August  5,  1775.  21,  22. 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.iEL    GREENE.  Ill 

calls.  Every  person  that  fires  his  gun  without  posi- 
tive orders,  to  be  punished  immediately  by  a  regi- 
mental court-martial;  and  if  these  orders  are  not 
obeyed,  the  General  will  order  the  first  transgressor 
to  be  tied  up  and  whipped,  for  an  example." 

An  order  of  the  next  day  brings  to  light  another 
infraction  of  discipline :  "  General  Greene  is  in- 
formed, that  the  soldiers  have  got  into  a  practice 
of  stealing  cartridges  from  one  another,  and  those 
that  go  on  furlough,  or  are  discharged,  carry  them 
home.  As  this  conduct  is  both  dishonorable  and 
villanous,  the  General  hopes  there  are  but  few,  if 
any,  that  are  so  lost  to  honor  and  honesty  as  to 
commit  so  dirty  a  crime.  If  any  are  detected  in 
the  fact,  they  may  expect  to  be  punished  without 
mercy." 

Every  alarm,  too,  seems  to  have  furnished  a  pre- 
text for  wasting  powder.  "The  officers  of  this 
brigade,"  continue  the  orders  of  the  10th,  "are 
once  more  desired  to  pay  particular  attention  to 
the  preservation  of  the  cartridges.  There  has 
been  such  a  wanton  waste,  for  some  time  past,  and 
still  continues,  upon  every  alarm,  that  it  is  really 
disgraceful.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  upon 
what  principle  this  strange  itch  for  firing  originates, 
as  it  is  rather  a  mark  of  cowardice  than  bravery 
to  fire  away  ammunition,  without  any  inten- 
tion. If  the  soldiers  are  desirous  of  defending  their 
rights  and  liberties,  the  General  desires  they  would 
not  deprive  themselves  of  the  means  to  execute  so 
laudable  a  purpose." 


112  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

These  appeals  to  the  patriotism  of  the  troops 
are  not  always  successful.  A  large  infusion  of  bad 
elements  would  seem,  from  the  frequent  courts- 
martial  recorded  in  the  orderly-books,  to  have 
found  its  way  into  the  patriot  camp.  Stealing  and 
drunkenness  were  the  principal  crimes ;  but  disobe- 
dience, desertion,  and  even  mutiny  sometimes  oc- 
curred, and  were  punished  by  fines,  imprisonment, 
whipping,  and,  in  the  case  of  corporals  and  ser- 
geants, by  degradation  to  the  ranks.  The  reports 
of  courts-martial  fill  many  pages  of  the  orderly- 
books,  showing  very  clearly  that  love  of  country 
was  not  the  only  motive  w^hich  brought  recruits 
and  volunteers  to  the  camp  before  Boston. 

Greene's  duty  was  severe,  —  to  bed  late,  and  up 
early,  much  riding,  much  writing,  frequent  councils 
at  head-quarters,  the  daily  details  of  discipline,  and 
the  daily  duties  of  a  siege  in  daily  progress.  In 
his  attempts  to  enforce  exactness  and  order,  he 
enters  into  minute  details.  "  Tlie  captains,"  say  the 
orders  for  November  12,  "  every  day  to  examine 
the  arms  and  ammunition  of  their  companies,  and 
see  that  their  arms  are  kept  clean,  the  locks  in 
good  order,  and  the  flints  well  fixed ;  to  count  the 
cartridges  and  flints  of  each  individual ;  for  every 
cartridge  that  is  lost  to  be  charged  one  shilling 
lawful  money ;  and  for  every  flint  missing,  three- 
pence ;  a  report  to  be  made  daily  of  the  regiment 
to  the  colonel,  in  what  condition  they  find  the  guns 
and  ammunition.  Any  captain  or  subordinate  that 
neglects  to  make  a  daily  return  to  his  colonel  or 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.\EL    GREENE.  113 

commanding  officer,  the  colonel  to  report  him  to 
the  general  of  brigade,  that  he  may  report  him  to 
head-quarters." 

"  The  days  being  short,"  says  an  order  of  the  1st 
of  November,  "and  the  weather  coming  on  cold, 
the  General  orders  the  artificers  to  begin  half  an 
hour  before  sunrise,  and  continue  at  work  as  long 
as  they  can  well  see.  The  officers  commanding  the 
several  parties  are  to  see  the  order  punctually  com- 
plied with.  The  artificers  are  to  examine  their 
arms  and  ammunition  once  a  week  at  least,  and 
see  that  their  guns  and  cartridges   are    in   good 

order The  General  has  great  reason  to  be 

displeased  with  the  sergeants  and  corporals  on  the 
main  guard,  in  planting  and  relieving  sentries. 
For  the  future,  they  are  to  give  each  sentry  a 
proper  detail  of  his  duty  as  sentry,  for  what  inten- 
tion he  is  placed,  and  see  that  the  sentry  that  re- 
lieves gives  the  same  detail  that  he  received  to  the 
relieving  sentry ;  and  the  sergeants  or  corporals 
are  not  to  suffer  the  sentries  relieved  to  strao-o-le 
home  to  the  guard,  but  to  keep  them  with  the 
party  until  the  whole  are  relieved,  and  then  to 
march  them  home  to  the  guard  together." 

The  alarm  posts  and  positions  in  case  of  alarm, 
and  the  duties  of  the  different  officers,  are  dis- 
tinctly marked  out.  Exact  orders  are  given  for 
the  careful  keeping  of  the  working  tools,  which  are 
to  be  "  collected  and  numbered  every  evening,  the 
officers  commanding  the  fatigue  parties  to  be  ac- 
countable for  the  tools  delivered  them."     When, 


114  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

a  few  years  later,  Greene  became  quartermaster- 
general,  the  habit  of  these  minute  details,  and  the 
practical  knowledge  acquired  by  them,  served,  on 
more  than  one  occasion,  to  lighten  his  labors. 

But  one  of  his  most  serious  duties  was  the  con- 
stant provision  for  defence.  "  General  Greene," 
say  the  orders  of  the  10th  of  November,  "is 
greatly  displeased  with  the  officers  of  the  artillery, 
that  the}'^  were  so  ill-provided  with  wads  to-day. 
The  General  gives  positive  orders,  that  proper  pro- 
visions be  made  immediately,  that  the  artillery 
may  be  in  readiness  at  an  alarm  at  the  first  notice." 
"Upon  an  alarm,"  say  the  orders  of  the  12th 
November,  Colonel  Brewster's  regiment  to  take 
post  in  the  citadel  on  the  left ;  Colonel  Little's  regi- 
ment to  form  on  parade  in  the  long  lines  next  to 
the  barracks ;  Colonel  Thompson's  in  the  front  of 
Colonel  Little's,  there  to  wait  for  orders,  —  no  offi- 
cer to  stir  from  his  post,  nor  to  suffer  his  people 
to  straggle,  but  to  keep  them  silent  and  attentive." 

November  was  an  anxious  month,  and  new  ar- 
rana:ements  were  needed  for  the  long;  nio'hts  and 
short  days.  "  The  field  officer  of  the  day  to  exam- 
ine the  sally-ports  in  these  fortifications,  and  if  the 
chevaux-de-frise  are  out  of  repair,  they  are  to  put 
them  in  order,  and  if  any  of  the  pickets  are  out 
of  place,  to  have  them  rectified ;  the  firing  of  the 
morning  gun  to  be  discontinued ;  the  reveille  to  be 
beat  at  gray  daylight,  at  the  beating  of  which  the 
troops  to  man  the  lines  with  as  much  exj^edition  as 
possible ;  all  the  sentries  on  the  lines  to  be  posted 


1775.]  LIFE    OF    NATHAN.iEL    GREENE.  115 

on  the  parapet,  and  to  hail  every  person  that  ap- 
proaches the  hnes  on  the  outside  as  soon  as  it  is 
dark,  and  to  suffer  no  one  to  come  near  the  hnes 
without  giving  the  countersign.  All  the  soldiers, 
for  the  future,  to  repair  to  their  quarters  at  nine 
o'clock ;  and  if  any  are  catched  abroad  after  that 
hour,  and  cannot  give  a  satisfactory  account  of 
their  business,  to  be  sent  to  the  main  guard,  as 
none  but  drunkards  and  thieves  will  be  out  at  a 
later  hour,  unless  upon  some  special  business." 

Among  the  provisions  for  repelling  an  assault 
are  instructions  for  the  use  of  spears.  "Every 
colonel  or  commanding  officer  of  a  regiment,"  say 
the  orders  of  the  15th,  "to  appoint  thirty  men 
that  are  active,  bold,  and  resolute,  to  use  the  spears 
in  defence  of  the  lines,  instead  of  guns ;  to  form  in 
the  centre  of  the  rear  of  the  regiment,  to  stand 
ready  to  push  the  enemy  off"  the  breastwork,  if 
they  should  attempt  to  get  over  the  parapet  into 
the  lines.  Let  those  be  appointed  that  are  the 
worst  equipped  for  arms,  and  those  that  have  none 
at  all,  provided  the  size,  strength,  and  activity  are 
agreeable  for  the  purpose  of  their  appointment,  to 
be  commanded  by  a  sub  and  sergeant." 

I  dwell  upon  these  details,  for  they  not  only 
belong  to  the  camp  life  of  those  anxious  days,  but 
help  us  in  tracing  step  by  step  the  growth  of  the 
general  as  we  have  already  traced  that  of  the  man. 
Watchfulness,  energy,  rapidity  of  comprehension, 
and  patience  of  labor  were  equally  the  character- 
istics of  both. 


CHAPTER    III. 

Term  of  Service  of  the  Army  most  out.  —  Congress  sends  a  Committee 
to  Camp.  —  Greene's  Impressions  of  Franklin.  —  His  first  Intercourse 
with  Southern  Members  of  Congress.  —  His  Efforts  to  do  away  with 
Sectional  Jealousies.  —  Lord  SheiBeld.  —  Church's  Treason.  —  Grad- 
ual Growth  of  a  Desire  for  Independence.  —  Extracts  from  Greene's 
Letters  to  Governor  AVard.  —  His  Idea  of  the  Duty  of  Congress.  — 
An  Army  of  Seventy  Thousand  Men.  —  Feelings  of  the  People. 

rr^HE  approach  of  autumn  brought  another  anx- 
-■-  iety  with  it.  The  army  was  enhsted  for  only 
a  few  months,  and  those  months  were  passing 
rapidly  away.  What  will  England  do  ?  October 
brought  "  the  echo  of  Bunker  s  hill,"^  and  the  news 
of  "  warlike  preparations."  What  will  Congress 
do?  After  much  ill-timed  delay,  Congress  ap- 
pointed Franklin,  Lynch,  and  Harrison  a  commit- 
tee to  go  to  camp  and  consult  with  Washington 
about  the  new  army.  While  they  were  yet  on 
their  way  the  general  ofl&cers  met  in  council,  and, 
after  a  careful  examination  of  the  subject,  fixed 
upon  twenty  thousand  men  as  the  number  re- 
quired to  continue  the  siege.  On  the  15th  the 
committee  reached  head-quarters.  "  I  had  the 
honor,"  Greene  writes  the  next  day,  "  to  be  intro- 
duced to  that  very  great  man  Dr.  Franklin,  whom 
I  viewed  with  silent  admiration  the  whole  evening. 

1  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  III.  p.  113. 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE. 


117 


Attention  watched  his  hps,  and  conviction  closed 
his  periods."  And  Frankhn,  on  his  side,  may  have 
looked  with  more  than  ordinary  interest  on  Greene ; 
for  the  name  had  long  been  familiar  to  his  ear,  and 
Greene's  wife  was  the  niece  of  his  "  dear  friend," 
Catherine  Ray.^  But  this  was  no  time  for  forming 
new  friendships.  The  committee  had  hard  work 
to  do,  and  when  it  was  done,  Greene  and  Franklin 
parted  never  to  meet  again. 

It  was  the  first  time,  too,  that  Greene  had  been 
brought  into  contact  with  members  of  Congress 
from  the  South,  and  he  took  advantage  of  the  op- 
portunity to  speak  to  them  about  "  the  groundless 
jealousy  of  the  New  England  Colonies,"  which  was 
said  to  prevail  there.  "  I  mentioned  this  subject,"  he 
writes  to  Governor  Ward, "  to  Mr.  Lynch  and  Colo- 
nel Harrison,  who  assured  me  there  was  no  such 
sentiment  prevailing  in  Congress  nor  among  the 
southern  inhabitants  of  any  respectability.  I  am 
sorry  to  find  they  were  mistaken.  It  grieves  me 
that  such  jealousies  should  prevail.  If  they  are 
nourished,  they  will  sooner  or  later  sap  the  founda- 
tions of  the  union  and  dissolve  the  connection. 
God  in  mercy  avert  so  dreadful  an  evil !  " 

How  deeply  he  felt  and  how  justly  he  reasoned 
upon  this  subject  may  be  seen  by  the  order  of  the 
day  for  the  25th  of  October :  "  General  Greene  is 

1  Wife  of  William  Greene  of  War-  Catherine  Eay  and  Catherine  Eay 
wick,  afterwards  Governor  of  Ehode  Greene,  have  been  published  by  Mr. 
Island,  whose  name  I  have  already  Sparks.  The  originals  are  still  in 
had  occasion  to  mention.  Many  of  the  possession  of  her  grandson,  Lieu- 
Franklin's  letters  to  this  lady,  both  as  tenant-Governor  William  Greene. 


118  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

greatly  displeased  with  a  number  of  evil-disposed 
persons  that  are  endeavoring  to  beget  jealousy  and 
discontent  amongst  the  troops,  by  promoting  and 
propagating  a  spirit  of  reflection  amongst  the  dif- 
ferent regiments;  as  such  a  conduct  has  a  ten- 
dency to  bring  on  great  confusion  and  disorder  in 
the  brigade,  and  to  alienate  the  affection  of  one 
Colony  from  another,  and  destroy  that  confidence 
and  union  now  happily  subsisting  amongst  us, 
the  General  entreats  all  the  officers  of  whatsoever 
rank  to  suppress  as  much  as  possible  such  a  grow- 
ing evil  as  national,  colonial,  regimental,  or  per- 
sonal reflection,  and  requests  the  field  officers  of 
the  several  regiments  to  punish  every  person  that 
is  guilty  of  such  high  misdemeanor  with  the  utmost 
severity." 

The  same  sentiments  appear  in  a  letter  of  Octo- 
ber 16th  to  Governor  Ward.  "  As  the  troops  are 
considered  continental  and  not  colonial,  there  must 
be  some  systematical  plan  for  the  payment  without 
any  reference  to  particular  colonies  ;  otherwise  they 
will  be  partly  continental  and  partly  colonial.  His 
Excellency  has  a  great  desire  to  banish  every  idea 
of  local  attachments.  It  is  next  to  impossible  to 
unhinge  the  prejudices  that  people  have  for  places 
and  things  they  have  had  a  long  connection  with. 
But  the  fewer  of  those  local  attachments  discover 
themselves  in  our  plan  for  establishing  the  army 
the  more  satisfactory  it  must  be  to  the  Southern 
gentry.  For  my  own  part,  I  feel  the  cause  and  not 
the  place.     I  would  as  soon  go  to  Virginia  as  stay 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  119 

here.  I  can  assure  the  gentlemen  to  the  south- 
ward that  there  could  not  be  anything  more  ab- 
horrent proposed,  than  a  union  of  those  colonies 
for  the  purpose  of  conquering  the  southern 
colonies." 

But  if  we  would  do  full  justice  to  Greene's  sen- 
timents upon  this  vital  subject,  and  his  early  com- 
prehension of  the  natural  relations  of  the  colonies 
to  each  other,  we  must  compare  his  words  with 
those  of  an  English  statesman  hio-h  in  rank  and 
authority.  "  The  interests  of  one  Colony  are  no 
ways  incompatible  with  the  interests  of  another. 
....  The  different  climates  and  produce  of  the 
colonies  will  ever  preserve  a  harmony  among  them 
by  an  active  trade  and  commerce."  Thus  writes 
Greene  on  the  31st  of  December,  1775. 

And  thus,  in  1783,  wrote  the  friend  of  Gibbon : 
"  It  will  not  be  an  easy  matter  to  bring  the  Amer- 
ican states  to  act  as  a  nation  ;  they  are  not  to  be 

feared  as  such  by  us Their  climate,  their 

staples,  their  manners,  are  different ;  their  interests 
opposite,  and  that  which  is  beneficial  to  one  is  de- 
structive to  the  other."  ^ 

There  were  still  other  things  to  be  anxious  about. 
A  little  before  the  arrival  of  the  committee,  Greene 
had  been  surprised  by  a  visit  from  his  old  teacher. 
Master  Maxwell.     Master  Maxwell  brought  with 

1  Lord  Sheffield's  Observations  on  that  Laurens   thought  it  had  done 

the  Commerce  of  the  American  States,  "much  mischief."  —  Gibbon's  Miscel- 

p.  137,  in  which  Gibbon  found  "plain  laneous  Works,  Vol.  L  pp.  609  -  617, 

sense,   full    information,    and   warm  ed.  4to. 
spirit,"  and   hailed  it  as  a  good  sign 


120  LIFE    OF    NATILVNAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

him  a  letter  from  Henry  Ward,  Secretary  for  the 
Colon}',  enclosing  a  mysterious  letter  in  cipher 
which  a -woman  from  Boston  had  tried  to  send  on 
board  the  ship  of  the  notorious  Wallace,  the  scourge 
of  Narragansett  Bay.  Greene  carried  the  letter  to 
Washington.  Who  could  the  writer  be,  and  what 
were  his  intentions?  The  first  step  towards  the 
discovery  of  this  was  to  discover  the  messenger. 
Here  other  counsellors  appear  to  have  been  called 
in,  and  among  them  "  Old  Put,"  who  tracked  her 
out,  compelled  her  to  mount  behind  him,  and 
brought  her  in  triumph  to  head-quarters.  Not 
even  Washington  could  keep  from  laughing  when, 
from  his  chamber  window,  he  saw  the  sturdy  ''Wolf 
Hunter "  dash  up  to  the  Craigie  House  gate,  leap 
from  his  horse,  and  drag  his  terrified  prisoner  up 
the  broad  pathway  to  the  door.  But  composing 
his  countenance,  he  reached  the  stairway  landing 
as  the  front  door  was  thrown  open,  and,  putting  on 
his  sternest  look,  assured  her  that  nothing  but  a 
full  confession  could  save  her  from  a  halter.  A 
shudder  must  have  gone  throuo;h  all  who  stood 
near  when  they  heard  the  name  of  Dr.  Church, — 
a  man  trusted,  respected,  beloved,  foremost  among 
patriots  with  voice  and  hand  and  pen.  Could  he 
be  a  traitor  ? 

He  was  immediately  arrested  and  his  papers 
seized.  The  letter  was  deciphered.  "I  attended 
the  General  Court  of  this  Province  to-day,"  Greene 
writes  to  his  wife  on  the  27th  of  October,  to  hear 
"  Dr.  Church's  examination  relative  to  his  treason. 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  121 

With  art  and  ingenuity  surpassing  whatever  you 
saw  he  veiled  the  villany  of  his  conduct,  and  by 
imphcation  transformed  vice  into  virtue.  But  not- 
withstanding all  his  art  and  address,  and  his  faculty 
of  making  the  worse  appear  the  better  reason,  he 
could  not  establish  his  innocence  either  satisfactory 
to  the  public  in  general  or  the  General  Court  in 
particular."  He  was  condemned  to  close  confine- 
ment. Mortification,  mingled  perhaps  with  the 
pain  of  a  tardy  repentance,  and  rendered  more  dis- 
tressing by  the  sudden  change  from  an  active  life 
to  a  life  of  solitary  disoccupation,  soon  began  to 
tell  upon  his  health ;  and  after  several  months  of 
rigorous  imprisonment,  obtaining  permission  to  go 
to  the  West  Indies,  he  set  out  upon  his  voyage  of 
exile,  and  was  never  heard  of  more.  But  the 
memory  of  his  treason  survived  him  to  trouble 
many  minds,  as  perils  thickened,  with  painful  rec- 
ollections and  anxious  doubts.^ 

In  the  spring  "the  feelings  of  the  people  had 
varied  with  the  varying  news  from  England."^ 
But  as  summer  wore  away  the  conviction  gradu- 
ally gained  ground  that  there  was  nothing  to  hope 
either  from  the  King  or  the  Parliament,  although, 
as  the  paroles  and  countersigns  show  from  time 
to  time,  Cambden  and  Burke  still  held  their  j^laces 
in  the  affections  of  the  leaders.  Even  "Wilkes  and 
Liberty  "  sometimes  is  used.^  But  as  early  as  Oc- 
tober "  the  plan  of  Independence  was  become  a 

1  For  Church's  letter,  see  Cowell's        ^  Belknap,  p.  87. 
Spirit  of  1776  in  Rhode  Island.  ^  Orderly-book. 


122  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

favorite  point  in  the  army,"  and  praying  for  the 
king  "offensive."^  How  soon  Greene  began  to 
"  wish  heartily  for  Independence  "  it  is  difficult  to 
say  with  certainty  ;  but  in  a  letter  of  October  16th 
he  had  already  hinted  at  it,  and  in  another  of  the 
23d  he  returns  to  the  subject.  "  \Ye  had  as  well 
begin  in  earnest  at  first  as  at  last,  for  we  have  no 

alternative  but  to  fight  it  out  or  be  slaves 

The  alternative  is  separation  from  Great  Britain 
or  subjugation  to  her."  With  the  question  of  In- 
dependence came  the  question  of  foreign  trade : 
"We  should  open  our  jDorts  to  all  who  have  a 
mind  to  come  and  trade  with  us  " ;  and  of  political 
relations :  "  France,  as  a  real  enemy  to  Great  Brit- 
ain, acts  upon  a  true  plan  of  policy  in  refusing  to 
intermeddle  until  she  is  satisfied  that  there  is  no 
hope  of  accommodation." 

In  January,  when  he  had  read  "  the  king's  late 
gracious  speech  to  both  houses  of  Parliament,"  he 
became  anxious  for  immediate  action.  "Permit 
me,"  he  writes  to  Governor  Ward,  "to  recommend, 
from  the  sincerity  of  my  heart,  ready  at  all  times  to 
bleed  in  my  country's  cause,  a  declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence ;  and  call  upon  the  world,  and  the  great 
God  who  governs  it,  to  witness  the  necessity,  pro- 
priety, and  rectitude  thereof."  The  magnitude  of 
the  contest,  which  he  sees  clearly,  does  not  alarm 
him.  "  My  worthy  friend,  the  interests  of  mankind 
hang  upon  that  truly  worthy  body  of  which  you 
are  a  member.     You  stand  the  representatives,  not 

1  Belknap,  p.  92. 


1775.1  LIFE    OF   NATH.1NAEL    GREENE.  123 

of  America  only,  but  of  the  whole  world;  the 
friends  of  Hberty  and  the  supporters  of  the  rights 
of  human  nature.  It  hath  been  said  that  Canada, 
in  the  late  war,  was  conquered  in  Germany.  Who 
knows  but  that  Britain  may  be  in  the  present  con- 
test. I  take  it  for  granted  that  France  and  Spain 
have  made  overtures  to  the  Congress.  Let  us  em- 
brace them  as  brothers.  We  do  not  want  their 
land  forces  in  America ;  their  navy  we  do.  Their 
commerce  will  be  mutually  beneficial.  They  will 
doubtless  pay  the  expenses  of  their  fleet,  as  it  will 
be  employed  in  protecting  their  own  trade.  Their 
military  stores  we  want  amazmgly.  These  will  be 
articles  of  commerce.  The  Elector  of  Hanover 
has  ordered  his  German  troops  to  reheve  the  gar- 
risons of  Gibraltar  and  Port  Mahon.  France  will, 
of  consequence,  attack  and  subdue  Hanover  with 
Httle  trouble.  This  will  bring  on  a  very  severe 
war  in  Germany,  and  turn  Great  Britain's  atten- 
tion that  way.  This  may  prevent  immense  ex- 
pense and  innumerable  calamities  in  America." 

A  wide  range  this  for  the  thoughts  of  an  anchor- 
smith.  Hear,  too,  how  he  reasons  upon  America's 
duty  in  the  struggle  :  — 

"  A  large  army  must  be  raised  in  addition  to  the  forces 

upon  the  present  establishment All  the  forces  in 

America  should  be  under  one  commander,  raised  and 
appointed  by  the  same  authority,  subjected  to  the  same 
regulations,  and  ready  to  be  detached  wherever  the  occa- 
sion may  require It  will  be  infinitely  safer,  and  not 

more  expensive  in  the  end,  for  the  continent  to  give  a 


124  LIFE   OF   NATIIANAEL   GREENE.  [1775. 

large  bounty  to  any  number  of  troops  in  addition  to  what 
may  be  ordered  on  the  present  establishment,  that  will 
engage  during  the  war,  than  to  enlist  them  from  year  to 

year  without  a  bounty How  will  posterity,  millions 

yet  unborn,  bless  the  memory  of  those  brave  patriots  who 
are  now  hastening  the  consummation  of  freedom,  truth, 
and  religion  !  But  want  of  decision  renders  wisdom  in 
council  insignificant,  as  want  of  power  has  prevented  us 
here  from  destroying  the  mercenary  troops  now  in  Bos- 
ton. Frugality,  a  most  amiable  domestic  virtue,  becomes 
a  vic^  of  the  most  enormous  kind  when  opposed  to  the 
common  good.  The  tyrant,  in  his  last  speech,  has  con- 
vinced us  that  to  be  free  or  not  depends  upon  ourselves. 
Nothing,  therefore,  but  the  most  vigorous  exertion  on  our 
part  can  shelter  us  from  the  evils  intended  us.  How  can 
we,  then,  startle  at  the  idea  of  expense,  when  our  whole 
property,  our  dearest  connections,  our  liberty,  nay,  life  it- 
self, is  at  stake  ;  let  us,  therefore,  act  like  men  inspired 
with  a  resolution  that  nothing  but  the  powers  of  heaven 
shall  conquer  us.  It  is  no  time  for  deliberation  :  the 
hour  is  swiftly  rolling  on  when  the  plains  of  America  will 
be  deluged  with  human  blood.  Resolves,  deliberations, 
and  all  the  parade  of  heroism  in  words,  will  not  obtain  a 
victory.  Arms  and  ammunition  are  as  necessary  as  men, 
and  must  be  liad  at  the  expense  of  everything  short  of 
Britain's  claims." 

The  question  of  domestic  enemies,  of  Tories,  is 
daily  becoming  more  embarrassing.  He  is  for 
prompt  action  and  uncompromising  severity.  "Gov- 
ernor Franklin  and  the  Assembly  go  on  with  a  high 
hand.  His  impudence  and  the  Congress's  silence 
astonish  all  this  part  of  the  world.  To  suffer  such 
presumption  to  go  unpunished  betrays  a  want  of 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  125 

spirit  to  resent  or  power  to  punish.  The  dignity 
of  Congress  ought  to  be  held  sacred,  or  else  its  au- 
thority will  soon  be  brought  into  contempt.  His 
conduct  is  calculated  to  breed  a  mutiny  in  the 
state ;  such  budding  mischiefs  cannot  be  too  early 
nipped ;  diseases  that  might  have  been  easily  rem- 
edied if  seasonably  attended  to,  have  often  been 
rendered  incurable  by  being  too  long  neglected.  I 
wish  this  may  not  be  the  case  here Gen- 
eral Lee  has  just  returned  from  Rhode  Island.  He 
has  taken  the  Tories  in  hand,  and  sworn  them  by 
a  ver}^  solemn  oath  that  they  would  not,  for  the 
future,  grant  any  supplies  to  the  enemy,  directly 
nor  indirectly,  nor  give  them  any  kind  of  intelli- 
gence, nor  suffer  it  to  be  done  by  others,  without 
giving  information.  Joseph  Wanton  and  Doctor 
Hunter  were  the  principals." 

The  want  of  arms  had  compelled  Washington  to 
retain  the  weapons  of  those  who  were  leaving  the 
army.  On  the  4th  of  January  Greene  writes  : 
"  Undoubtedly  the  detaining  of  arms,  being  private 
property,  is  repugnant  to  many  principles  of  civil 
and  natural  law  and  hath  disgusted  many.  But 
the  great  law  of  necessity  must  justify  the  expe- 
dient till  we  can  be  otherwise  furnished." 

Nor  was  his  opinion  upon  the  necessity  of 
united  action  less  decided.  "  There  appears  a 
strange  hobble  in  our  gait.  Here  we  are  at  log- 
gerheads, in  other  places  only  sparring,  and  oth- 
ers again  are  in  perfect  tranquillity.  Here  we 
are  cutting  them  off  from  fresh  provisions,  and  re- 


126  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

moving  the  stock  from  the  island,  which  amounts 
to  a  perfect  depopulation,  while  at  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  and  many  other  parts  of  America, 
their  ships  are  supplied  with  everything  they 
stand  in  need  of,  and  live  in  the  midst  of  peace 
and  plenty.  If  we  are  to  be  considered  as  one 
people,  and  they  as  the  common  enemy,  upon 
what  principle  are  they  so  differently  treated  in 
the  different  governments?" 

Washington  had  been  disappointed  in  the  com- 
mon people,  and  made  no  secret  of  his  disgust. 
"  His  Excellency  is  a  great  and  good  man.  I  feel 
the  highest  degree  of  respect  for  him.  I  wish  him 
immortal  honor.  I  think  myself  happy  in  an  op- 
portunity to  serve  under  so  good  a  general.  My 
happiness  will  be  still  greater  if  fortune  gives  me 
an  opportunity  to  contribute  to  his  glory  and  my 
country's  good. 

"  But  his  Excellency,  as  you  observe,  has  not  had 
time  to  make  himself  acquainted  w^ith  the  genius 
of  this  people.  They  are  naturally  as  brave  and 
spirited  as  the  peasantry  of  any  other  country ;  but 
you  cannot  expect  veterans  of  a  raw  militia  of  only 
a  few  months'  service.  The  common  people  are 
exceedingly  avaricious ;  the  genius  of  the  people 
is  commercial,  from  their  long  intercourse  with 
trade.  The  sentiment  of  honor,  the  true  charac- 
teristic of  a  soldier,  has  not  yet  got  the  better  of 
interest.  His  Excellency  has  been  taught  to  be- 
lieve the  people  here  a  superior  race  of  mortals ; 
and  finding  them  of  the  same  temper  and  disposi- 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  127 

tions,  passions  and  prejudices,  virtues  and  vices  of 
the  common  people  of  other  governments,  they 
sink  in  his  esteem.  The  country  round  here  set 
no  bounds  to  their  demands  for  hay,  wood,  and 
teaming.  It  has  given  his  Excellency  a  great  deal 
of  uneasiness,  that  they  should  take  this  opportu- 
nity to  extort  from  the  necessities  of  the  army  such 
enormous  prices." 

His  relations  with  Washington  are  becoming  in- 
timate ;  and  the  reserved,  cautious  man  is  already 
beginning  to  "  lean  his  great  arm  upon  him." 
"  The  General  has  often  expressed  to  me  his  un- 
easiness about  the  expenses,  they  so  far  exceed  the 
expectations  of  Congress.  He  is  afraid  they  will 
sink  under  the  weight  of  such  charges." 

He,  too,  has  thought  upon  this  subject.  "  Econ- 
omy is  undoubtedly  essential  in  this  dispute ;  there 
should  be  no  wanton  waste  of  public  property;  but 
if  you  starve  the  cause  you  protract  the  dispute." 

To  his  mind,  the  duty  of  Congress  is  plain.  "  If 
the  Congress  wish  to  put  the  finishing  stroke  to 
this  war,  they  must  exert  their  whole  force  at  once, 
and  give  every  measure  an  air  of  decision.  I  pray 
God  we  may  not  lose  the  critical  moment.  Human 
affairs  are  ever  like  the  tide,  constantly  on  the  ebb 
and  flow.  Our  preparations  in  all  parts  of  the 
United  Colonies  ought  to  be  so  great  as  to  leave 
no  room  to  doubt  our  intentions  to  support  the 
cause  and  obtain  our  conditions.  This  will  draw 
in  the  weak  and  wavering,  and  give  such  a  turn 
to  the  minds  of  the  people  that  small  shocks  shall 


128  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1775. 

not  be  seriously  felt  in  the  general  plan  of  opera- 
tions." 

He  was  for  embodying  seventy  thousand  men  at 
once,  stationing  a  body  in  each  maritime  town  to 
protect  it  against  piratical  incursions,  and  support 
the  spirited  and  confirm  the  weak  and  wavering" : 
each  body  "  to  be  considered  as  a  detachment  from 
the  grand  arm}^,  ....  subject  to  the  commander-in- 
chief,  and  at  his  disposal  and  discretion To 

cure  the  itch  for  going  home  on  furlough,  and  save 
the  continent  the  needless  expense  of  paying  a 
large  body  of  troops  that  are  absent  from  camp," 
he  suggests  an  exchange  of  the  Southern  and 
Northern  troops. 

It  had  been  proposed  to  ^ny  the  troops  part  of 
their  wages  and  put  the  other  part  in  trust  for  the 
benefit  of  their  families.  He  does  not  approve 
of  this.  "  The  colonels  are  the  best  judges  of  the 
prudence  and  good  economy  of  their  soldiers. 
Those  who  behave  well  and  make  a  prudent  use 
of  their  money  want  no  agent ;  for  they  will 
receive  monthly  payments,  and  such  part  as  they 
can  spare  for  the  support  of  their  families  can  eas- 
ily be  conveyed  home."  For  the  others,  "a  man 
from  each  town  or  county"  might  be  employed 
as  an  agent. 

He  had  already,  as  we  have  seen,  formed  the 
idea  of  a  great  army,  well  organized,  thoroughly 
disciplined,  properly  fed,  clothed,  and  paid,  and  en- 
listed for  the  whole  war ;  and  regarding  this  as  the 
surest  way  of  bringing  the  contest  to  a  j^rompt 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  129 

decision,  endeavored,  by  means  of  his  correspond- 
ence with  Governor  Ward,  to  convey  his  idea  to 
Congress. 

He  looks  anxiously,  too,  towards  the  people, 
complaining,  not  of  "  the  lower  class,  but  of  the 
merchants  and  wealthy  farmers,"  who  have  raised 
the  prices  of  many  articles  "four  times  the  first 
cost,  and  of  many  of  them  cent  per  cent."  These 
"are  the  people  that  wound  the  cause.  When 
people  are  distressed,  it  is  natural  for  them  to  try 
everything  and  everywhere  to  get  relief;  and  to 
find  oppression  instead  of  relief  from  these  two 
orders  of  men,  will  go  near  to  driving  the  poorer 
sort  to  desperation.  It  will  be  good  policy  in  the 
United  Colonies  to  render  the  poorer  sort  of  people 
as  easy  and  happy  under  their  present  circum- 
stances as  possible ;  for  they  are  creatures  of  a 
day,  and  present  gain  and  gratification,  though 
small,  has  more  weight  with  them  than  much 
greater  advantages  at  a  distance.  A  good  poli- 
tician must  and  will  consider  the  temper  of  the 
times  and  the  prejudices  of  the  j)eople  he  has  to 
deal  with,  when  he  takes  his  measures  to  execute 
any  great  design." 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Greene's  Life,  Habits,  and  Associates  in  Camp.  —  Letter  to  Jiis  "Wife. 
—  Christopher  Greene  and  Samuel  Ward  join  the  Canada  Expedi- 
tion. —  Interest  awakened  by  it.  —  Anxiety  caused  by  the  burning 
of  Falmouth.  —  By  the  Progress  of  Enlistment.  —  Extracts  from 
Letters.  —  Opinion  on  giving  Bounties.  —  Mistake  of  Congress.  — 
Old  Troops  go.  —  New  Troops  come.  —  Arms  retained.  —  New 
Year.  —  The  Flag. —  Scanty  Supplies.  —  Small-Pox.  —  Mrs.  Greene 
in  Camp.  —  Siege  draws  to  a  Close.  —  Dorchester  Heights  occu- 
pied. —  Preparations  for  an  Attack.  —  Storm.  —  Evacuation  of 
Boston. 

A  ND  thus  Greene  lived,  with  his  active  mind 
■^^^  constantly  employed  watching  the  progress  of 
events,  revolving  the  great  questions  of  the  day, 
and  keenly  alive  to  the  magnitude  of  the  contest 
in  ^yhich  he  was  engaged.  The  principles  with 
which  he  had  stored  it  in  his  quiet  home  at  Poto- 
womut  and  Coventry,  gleaning  with  a  bold  hand 
the  rich  fields  of  history  and  philosophy,  found  a 
daily  application,  as  the  lessons  of  past  history 
were  daily  repeated  in  the  history  that  was  grow- 
ing under  his  own  eye.  His  horizon  was  enlarged ; 
and  thought,  even  when  it  did  not  open  new  chan- 
nels, flowed  in  broader  currents  through  the  old. 
The  discussions  of  councils  of  war  had  taken  the 
place  of  solitary  meditation ;  and  ideas  which, 
twelve  months  earlier,  he  might  have  thrown  out 
in   their   germ  as  an    exercise   letter   to  Samuel 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  131 

Ward,  Jr.,  now  filled  elaborate  pages  to  Samuel 
Ward,  Sen.,  as  suggestions  to  be  woven  into  the 
framework  of  an  empire.  In  his  personal  habits 
there  was  little  change,  great  as  was  the  change  in 
the  nature  of  his  pursuits.  He  was  still  up  with 
the  dawn ;  he  was  still  hours  in  the  saddle ;  he  was 
still  busy  with  his  pen ;  he  was  still  an  attentive 
listener ;  he  was  still  a  patient  thinker ;  and  he 
still  loved  his  book,  —  finding  time,  even  in  the 
greatest  pressure  of  business,  to  calm  his  mind  by 
a  page  of  some  favorite  author,  before  he  laid  his 
head  upon  his  pillow.  Some  time  he  found,  too,  for 
social  relaxation,  and  that  friendly  interchange  of 
sentiments  and  opinions  which  he  always  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  chief  blessings  of  life.  In 
his  own  brigade  were  his  early  friends  Varnum, 
Ward,  and  Christopher  Greene  ;  and  to  them  was 
soon  added,  as  chaplain,  —  though  not  without  a 
protest  from  all  the  other  chaplains  of  the  army, 
—  the  eloquent  Universalist,  John  Murray.^  Here, 
also,  his  early  acquaintance  with  Knox  began  to 
ripen  into  friendship,  and  Reed  obtained  a  hold 
upon  his  confidence  which  was  never  shaken. 
With  Lee,  too,  he  seems  to  have  lived  upon  in- 
timate terms.  "  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  show 
your  last  letter  to  General  Lee,"  he  writes  to  Gov- 
ernor Ward  in  January,  "  whose  knowledge  of 
Europe  and  America,  genius  and  learning,  enable 
him  to  give  you  the  advice  you  want.  He  has 
written  you  fully  on  the  subject ;  it  would  be  mere 

1  Amorj's  Sullivan,  Vol.  I.  p.  181. 


132  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.iEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

arrogance  in  me  to  say  anything  upon  the  sub- 
ject, after  he  has  taken  up  the  pen."  The  dinners 
at  head-quarters  had  become  friendly  meetings. 
"  I  am  now  going,"  he  writes  to  his  wife,  in  Septem- 
ber, "  to  dine  with  his  Excellency  General  "Wash- 
ington, and  Mr.  Murray  with  me.  I  wish  you 
could  fly  to  Cambridge,  and  partake  of  a  friendly 
repast."  Only  in  one  thing  had  the  regularity  of 
his  habits  changed.  Amidst  all  these  occupations, 
Sunday  was  no  longer  the  day  it  had  been  from 
his  3'outh  upwards.  "  Mr.  Murray  gave  us  a  sermon 
to-day,"  he  writes  to  his  wife,  three  or  four  weeks 
after  her  first  visit  to  camp.  "  This  is  the  first  ser- 
mon I  have  heard  since  your  first  arrival  at  Jamaica 
Plains.  Perhaps,  you  stood  between  me  and  the 
Gospel ;  but  I  fear,  if  the  true  reasons  should  be 
inquired  after,  you  would  escape  the  charge." 

As  the  evenings  grow  longer  he  writes  for  more 
books ;  and,  to  show  that  his  admiration  of  Lee's 
mind  did  not  extend  to  his  dress,  I  will  add,  that 
in  the  same  paragraph  he  asks  for  more  shirts. 
These  lono;  evenino;s  awaken  thouo-hts  of  home. 
"  It  is  past  nine  o'clock ;  the  room  is  still,  and  the 
company  all  gone.  My  attention  is  turned  to- 
wards you.  Permit  me  to  address  you,  my  dear, 
with  some  sentiments  of  warm  affection.  My  soul 
breathes  a  secret  prayer  for  your  happiness,  amidst 
these  times  of  general  calamity.  How  fondly 
should  I  press  you  to  my  bosom,  were  you  with 
me.  Cruel  separation !  But  I  console  myself  that 
you  are  haj^pily  provided  for,  and  I  in  the  way  of 


1775.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  133 

my  duty,  offering  my  small  services,  united  with 
others  who  are  endeavoring  to  preserve  an  op- 
pressed people  from  cruel  slavery,  —  the  worst  of 
miseries.  May  God  speed  our  efforts,  and  crown 
us  with  success."  He  pictures  her  to  himself, 
"  amidst  a  little  circle  of  friends,  ....  with  anx- 
ious bosoms,  petitioning  the  throne  of  Grace 

Surely,  Providence  will  hear  the  prayers  of  the 
innocent.  It  w411  come  up  before  him  like  a  sweet- 
smelling  savor,  like  frankincense  from  the  altar  of 
Innocence.  0  America !  what  a  black  cloud  hang;s 
over  this  once  happy  land,  but  now  miserable  and 
afflicted  people." 

In  September  he  lost  the  society  of  two  of  his 
friends,  —  Christopher  Greene  and  Samuel  Ward, 
—  both  of  whom  had  volunteered  for  the  "  Canada 
expedition,  a  long  and  tedious  voyage,"  he  writes 
his  wife  on  the  10th.  "I  am  sorry  that  so  good 
an  officer  is  going  from  the  hill ;  his  regiment  will 
feel  a  severe  loss.  Captain  Ward  is  also  embarked 
with  him  in  the  same  expedition.  I  did  every- 
thing in  my  power  to  dissuade  him  from  the  un- 
dertaking ;  but  the  heart  and  zeal  of  youth,  ambi- 
tious of  distinguishing  himself,  overcame  the  cool 
reasons  that  I  could  offer."  Perhaps,  underlying 
those  "  cool  reasons,"  Ward,  who  knew  him  so  well, 
had  detected  the  latent  feeling  which  made  him 
add,  as  he  told  the  story  to  his  wife,  "  it  will  be  a 
very  pretty  tour." 

Henceforth  the  news  from  Canada  became  a  regu- 
lar topic  in  his  letters.    "  I  had  the  pleasure  to  hear 


134  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

from  your  son  Samuel  the  2Gth  of  September,"  he 
writes  to  Governor  Ward  on  the  IGth  of  October. 
"He  was  at  Fort  Weston,  just  going  to  set  off  on 

their  journey.     All  in  health  and  good  spirits 

By  several  letters  from  Quebec,  things  wear  a 
jDroniising  appearance  there.  If  the  expedition 
succeeds,  and  we  get  possession  of  Canada,  we  shall 
effectually  shut  the  back  door  against  them.  And 
I  make  no  doubt  of  keeping  them  from  entering  at 
the  front."  In  December  it  was  "reported  that 
Quebec  was  taken.  General  Montgomery  and 
Colonel  Arnold  will  acquire  immortal  honor.  0 
that  we  had  plenty  of  powder !  I  should  then 
hope  to  see  something  done  here  for  the  honor  of 
America."  And  two  days  later  he  writes  to  his 
brother  Jacob  :  "  Letters  were  received  this  day 
from  General  Montgomery,  near  Quebec.  He  says 
he  expects  to  be  master  of  the  place  in  a  very  lit- 
tle time.  He  has  powder  and  all  kind  of  military 
stores  to  facilitate  the  reduction.  He  and  his 
troops  are  in  good  health,  and  he  speaks  very 
highly  of  Colonel  Arnold  and  his  party.  Many 
officers  and  a  large  number  of  privates  belong  to 
our  government." 

Towards  the  end  of  October  another  event  oc- 
curred to  call  his  attention  to  other  parts  of  the 
country.  News  came  in  the  night  of  the  23d  that 
Falmouth  had  been  burned,  and  that,  by  orders 
from  England,  "  all  the  seaport  towns  on  the  con- 
tinent that  would  not  lay  down  and  deliver  up 
their  arms,  and  give  hostages  for  their  future  good 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  135 

behavior,"  were  to  be  burnt  also.      "The  city  of 
New  York,"  it  was  said,  "  was  already  in  ashes." 

This  was  startling  news  for  a  Rhode-Islander, 
whose  whole  State  was  a  seaport  town.  He  imme- 
mediately  sent  off  an  express  to  Governor  Cook,  a 
firm,  active,  intelligent  man,  heartily  devoted  to 
the  cause,  who  had  succeeded  the  half  Tory  Wan- 
ton as  Governor.  "  By  these  accounts  we  may 
learn  what  we  have  to  expect.  I  think  Newport 
should  be  fortified  in  the  best  manner  it  can  be. 
Doubtless  the  enemy  will  make  an  attempt  to  get 
the  stock  of  the  island.  Provision  should  be  made 
to  defeat  them.  Death  and  desolation  seein  to 
mark  their  footsteps.  Fight  or  be  slaves,  is  the 
American  motto.  The  first  is  by  far  the  most 
eligible." 

But  now  the  absorbing  subject  was  the  new 
armv.  Whence  was  it  to  come  ?  How  was  it  to 
be  raised?  Must  all  these  men  whom  we  have 
been  trying  so  hard  to  teach  leave  us  just  as  they 
are  besrinnino;  to  become  soldiers  ? 

In  November  he  writes  that  "  the  troops  enlist 
very  slowly  in  general."  And  on  the  10th  of  De- 
cember :  "  I  was  in  hopes  that  ours  would  not  have 
deserted  the  cause  of  their  country.  But  they 
seem  to  be  so  sick  of  this  way  of  life,  and  so  home- 
sick, that  I  fear  the  greater  part  and  the  best  of 
the  troops  from  our  Colony  will  go  home.  The 
Connecticut  troops  are  going  home  in  shoals  this 
day.  Five  thousand  of  the  militia,  three  from  this 
Province  and  two  from  New  Hampshire,  are  called 


■A 


136  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

in  to  take  their  place.  There  is  a  great  defection 
among  their  troops,  but  from  the  spirit  and  resolu- 
tion of  the  people  of  that  Province,  I  make  no 
doubt  they  will  furnish  their  proportion  without 
delay.  New  Hampshire  behaves  nobly ;  their 
troops  engage  cheerfully.  The  regiment  raised  in 
the  Colony  of  Rhode  Island  has  hurt  our  recruit- 
ing amazingly.  They  are  fond  of  serving  in  the 
army  at  home,  and  each  feels  a  desire  to  protect 
his  own  family." 

"  I  harangued  the  troops  yesterday,  and  hope  it 
had  some  effect.  They  appear  of  a  better  disposi- 
tion to-day.  Some  have  enlisted  and  others  dis- 
cover a  compl3'ing  temper.  I  leave  nothing  un- 
done or  unsaid  that  will  promote  the  recruiting 
service.  But  I  fear  the  Colony  of  Rhode  Island  is 
upon  the  decline.  There  have  been,  and  now  are, 
some  unhappy  disputes  subsisting  between  the 
town  and  country  interest,  and  some  wretches,  for 
the  sake  of  a  present  popularity,  are  endeavoring 
to  widen  the  breach,  —  to  build  up  their  own  con- 
sequence to  the  prejudice  and  ruin  of  the  public 
interest.  God  grant  that  they  may  meet  with  the 
disgrace  they  deserve  ! 

"  This  Province  begins  to  exert  itself  The  Gen- 
eral Court  has  undertaken  to  provide  for  the  army 
wood,  etc.  Their  troops  begin  now  to  enlist  very 
fast.  They  are  zealous  in  the  country  to  engage 
in  the  service. 

"  I  sent  home  some  recruiting  officers,  but  they 
got  scarcely  a  man,  and  report  there  are  none  to 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  137 

be  had  there.  No  public  spirit  prevails.  I  wish 
you  and  your  colleague  were  at  home  a  few  days 
to  spirit  up  the  people.  Newport,  I  believe,  from 
the  best  intelligence  I  can  get,  is  determined  to 
observe  a  strict  neutrality  this  winter,  and  in  the 
spring  join  the  strongest  party.  I  feel  for  the 
honor  of  the  Colony,  which  I  think  in  a  fair  way, 
from  the  conduct  of  the  people  at  home  and  the 
troops  abroad,  to  receive  a  wound.  It  mortifies 
me  to  death  that  our  Colony  and  troops  should  be 
a  whit  behind  the  neighboring  governments  in  pri- 
vate virtue  or  public  spirit. 

Eight  days  pass,  and  he  writes  more  cheerfully. 
"  The  army  is  filling  up  slowly.  I  think  the  pros- 
pect is  better  than  it  has  been.  Recruits  come  in 
out  of  the  country  plentifully,  and  the  soldiers  in 
the  army  begin  to  show  a  better  disposition  and  to 
recruit  cheerfully." 

The  question  of  bounties  comes  up.  "  You  en- 
treat the  general  officers,"  he  writes  to  Governor 
Ward,  "  to  recommend  to  Congress  the  giving  of  a 
bounty.  But  His  Excellency  General  Washington 
has  often  assured  us  that  the  Congress  would  not 
give  a  bounty,  and  before  they  would  give  a  bounty 
they  would  give  up  the  dispute.  The  cement  be- 
tween the  Northern  and  Southern  Colonies  is  not 
very  strong  if  forty  thousand  lawful  will  induce  the 
Congress  to  give  us  up.^  ....  Do  you  think  we 

1  In  March,  1776,  Reed  writes  get  a  bounty  for  the  New  England 
to  Washington  from  Philadelphia  :  troops,  but  without  effect.  The  Con- 
"  Many  attempts  have  been  made  to     gress  are  resolved  that  you  shall  aban- 


138  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

should  hesitate  a  moment  to  recommend  a  bomity 
if  we  felt  ourselves  at  liberty  to  do  so?  We 
should  then  have  an  opportunity  of  picking  the 
best  men,  filling  the  army  soon,  keeping  up  a 
proper  discipline,  and  preserving  good  order  and 
government  in  camp  ;  Avhile  we  are  obliged  to  re- 
lax the  very  sinews  of  military  government  and 
give  a  latitude  of  indulgence  to  the  soldiery  in- 
compatible  with   the   security   of  either  camp  or 

country There  is  nothing  that  will  encourage 

our  enemies,  both  external  and  internal,  like  the 
difficulties  we  meet  in  raising  an  army.  If  we  had 
given  a  good  bounty  and  raised  the  troops  speed- 
ily, it  would  have  struck  the  ministry  with  aston- 
ishment to  see  that  four  colonies  could  raise  such 
an  army  in  so  short  a  time.  They  could  not  ex- 
f)ect  to  conquer  a  people  so  united,  firm,  and  reso- 
lutely determined  to  defend  their  rights  and  pri^^- 
leges.  But  from  the  difficulties  we  meet  with,  the 
confusion  and  disorder  we  are  in,  the  large  num- 
ber of  soldiers  who  are  sroino-  home,  our  enemies 
will  draw  a  conclusion  that  we  are  like  a  rope  of 
sand,  and  that  we  shall  soon  break  to  pieces.  God 
grant  it  may  not  be  the  case ! " 

He  thinks  that  Cono-ress  was  mistaken  also  in 
"sending  strangers  at  so  critical  a  period,  ....  to 
establish  the  plan  for  the  constitution  of  the  new 
army History  does  not  afford  so  dangerous  a 


don  the  lines  an<l  j,'ive  up  their  coun-  enlisted  here."  —  Sparks's  Corre- 
try  to  be  ravaj^ed  if  they  will  not  spondence  of  the  Revolution,  Vol. 
defend  it  on  the  same  terms  as  those     I.  pp.  104,  105. 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  139 

measure  as  that  of  disbanding  an  old  army  and 
forming  a  new  one  within  point-blank  shot  of  the 
enemy.  The  task  was  rendered  very  difficult  by 
the  reduction  of  eleven  regiments  and  the  dis- 
charsre  of  such  a  number  of  officers  who  have 
done  everything  to  obstruct  and  retard  the  filling 
the  new  army  in  hopes  to  ruin  the  establishment 
and  bring  themselves  into  place  again." 

The  31st  of  December  was  the  "  last  day  of  the 
old  enlisted  soldiers'  service.  "Nothing  but  con- 
fusion and  disorder  reign.  We  are  obliged  to  re- 
tain their  guns,  whether  private  or  public  property. 
They  are  prized  and  the  owners  paid ;  but  as  guns 
last  spring  ran  very  high,  the  committee  that 
values  them  sets  them  much  lower  than  the  price 
they  were  purchased  at.  This  is  looked  upon  to 
be  both  tyrannical  and  unjust.  I  am  very  sorry 
that  necessity  forces  his  Excellency  to  adopt  any 
measures  disagreeable  to  the  people.  But  the 
army  cannot  be  provided  for  in  any  other  way." 

Thus  discontented  and  disgusted,  many  of  the 
old  soldiers  went  home.  But  people  at  home 
looked  upon  the  matter  in  another  light.  "  The 
Connecticut  troops  went  off*  in  spite  of  all  that 
could  be  done  to  prevent  it.  But  they  met  with 
such  an  unfavorable  reception  at  home  that  many 
are  returning  to  camp  already.  The  people  on  the 
road  expressed  so  much  abhorrence  at  their  quit- 
ting the  army,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  they  got 
provisions.  I  wish  all  the  troops  now  going  home 
may  meet  with  the  same  contempt." 


140  LIFE   OF   NATH-VNAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

He  looks  anxiously  to  the  morrow.  "  We  never 
have  been  so  weak  as  we  shall  be  to  morrow  when 
we  dismiss  our  old  troops."  And  in  anticipation 
of  this,  he  had  taken  advantage  of  the  last  days  of 
their  service  to  strengthen  "  the  hill,  in  order  that, 
if  the  soldiery  should  not  engage  as  cheerfully  as 
we  expected,  I  might  be  able  to  defend  it  with  a 
less  number." 

The  new  year  opens.  A  communication  comes 
from  the  enemy,  with  the  king's  speech,  denoun- 
cing war  and  confiscation  and  death.  And  shortly 
after  a  new  flag  rises  on  "  Mount  Pisgah,"  the  red 
field  crossed  with  thirteen  stripes,  and  above  it  a 
union.  Thirteen  guns  salute  it  as  it  unfurls  to  the 
breeze,  and  thirteen  rounds  of  cheers  from  the 
troops  of  the  "  citadel."  ^ 

The  British  look  out  from  Boston  and  hail  it  as 
the  signal  of  submission,  in  which  they  are  soon  to 
be  sharply  undeceived.  The  coming  and  going, 
the  tumult  and  confusion,  the  deep  anxiety  of 
those  who  knew  their  danger  and  kept  silent,  the 
long,  fixed  gazing  at  Bunker  Hill  and  the  Roxbury 
lines,  the  straining  of  eye  and  ear  through  the  long 
winter  night  for  some  sign  of  the  enemy's  coming, 
—  for  surely  he  must  know  their  weakness  and  be 
prepared  to  profit  by  it,  —  made  the  next  three 
days  pass  very  slowly.  But  on  the  4th  Greene 
draws  a  long  breath :  "  I  this  day  manned  the  lines 
upon  this  hill,  and  felt  a  degree  of  pleasure  that 
I  have  not  felt  for  several  days.     Our  situation  has 

1  Frothingham,  p.  283. 


1775.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  141 

been  critical.  We  have  no  part  of  the  mihtia  here, 
and  the  night  after  the  old  troops  went  away  I 
could  not  have  mustered  seven  hundred  men,  not- 
withstanding the  returns  of  the  newly  enlisted 
troops  amounted  to  nineteen  hundred  and  upward." 
He  adds,  —  and  you  can  fancy  him  as  he  writes  it 
pausing  a  moment  to  look  out  upon  Bunker  Hill 
and  Boston,  where  the  general  who  had  permitted 
this  golden  opportunity  to  escape  him  was  wast- 
ing his  strength  in  useless  cannonades,  —  "I  am 
now  strong  enough  to  defend  myself  against  all 
the  force  in  Boston." 

Meanwhile  the  army  had  been  in  great  straits 
for  supplies.  They  had  begun  to  suffer  from  cold 
as  early  as  September.  "  Excuse  the  badness  of  the 
writing;  it  is  so  cold  I  cannot  feel  the  pen,"  he 
writes  to  Sullivan  on  the  23d.  "  We  have  suffered 
prodigiously,"  he  writes  in  December,  "  for  want  of 
wood.  Many  regiments  have  been  obliged  to  eat 
their  provisions  raw  for  want  of  fuel  to  cook  it.  and 
notwithstanding  we  have  burnt  up  all  the  fences 
and  cut  down  all  the  trees  for  a  mile  round  the 
camp,  our  sufferings  have  been  inconceivable.  The 
barracks  have  been  greatly  delayed  for  want  of 
stuff.  Many  of  the  troops  are  yet  in  tents,  and  will 
be  for  some  time,  especially  the  officers.  The  fa- 
tigues of  the  campaign,  the  suffering  for  want  of 
wood  and  clothing,  have  made  a  multitude  of  sol- 
diers heartily  sick  of  service." 

An  alarm  of  small-pox,  too,  came  to  increase 
their  apprehensions.     It  was  known  to  be  in  Bos- 


142  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  L1775. 

ton,  and  it  was  said  the  enemy  were  trying  to  in- 
troduce it  by  emissaries  into  the  American  camp.^ 
A  strict  system  of  fumigation  was  estabhshed,  and 
everybody  coming  from  Boston  was  compelled  to 
submit  to  it  before  he  was  allowed  to  enter  the 
lines.^  Greene  remembered  his  first  visit  to  New 
York,  and  how  he  had  had  himself  inoculated  at 
a  time  when  most  men  still  shrunk  from  inocula- 
tion as  impious,  or  condemned  it  as  ineffectual. 
And  now,  faithful  to  his  early  convictions,  he  urged 
the  adoption  of  immediate  measures  for  inoculat- 
ing the  army,  and  gave  up,  it  has  been  said,  his 
house  at  Coventry  for  a  hospital  for  the  officers.^ 

It  was  a  happy  day  for  him  when  his  wife  joined 
him  in  camp.  Mrs.  Washington  came  to  head- 
quarters about  the  same  time.  Other  officers  were 
joined  by  their  wives,  and  that  pleasant  custom 
began,  which  was  continued  throughout  the  war, 
of  giving  to  winter  quarters  as  much  as  possible 
the  air  of  home.  His  official  relations  with  Wash- 
ino-ton  o-rew  more  and  more  intimate  as  circum- 
stances  revealed  the  harmony  of  their  opinions. 
Sometimes  Washington,  who  really  loved  a  jest, 
would  sljdy  remind  him  of  his  Quaker  origin.  "  Go 
to  General  Greene ;  he  is  a  Quaker,  and  knows 
more  about  it  than  I  do,"  was  his  answer  to  Moses 


1  Washington  to  President  of  Con-  ^  I  have  added  an  expression  of 
gress.  —  Sparks,  Vol.  III.  p.  188.  doubt  to  this  statement,  having  no 

2  The  late  venerable  President  authority  for  it  but  Johnson,  wlioin, 
Quincy  told  me  that  this  funiiga-  ^vith  all  his  opportunities  for  oral  as 
tion  was  almost  his  earliest  boyish  well  as  written  information,  I  find  it 
recollection.  necessary  to  use  with  care. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  143 

Brown,  who  had  been  sent  to  Cambridge  upon 
some  business  in  which  the  Quakers  were  particu- 
larly interested.^  His  social  relations,  too,  were 
upon  the  pleasantest  footing.  His  wife  was  fond 
of  society  and  well  fitted  to  shine  in  it,  notwith- 
standing the  comparative  seclusion  of  her  early 
years.  And  an  intimacy  sprang  up  between  her 
and  Mrs.  Washingcton  which,  like  that  between 
their  husbands,  ripened  into  friendship,  and  con- 
tinued unimpaired  through  life.  His  first  child, 
still  in  the  cradle,  was  named  George  Washington, 
and  the  second,  who  was  born  the  ensuing  year, 
Martha  Washington. 

And  now  this  lono;  sieo;e  beoran  to  draw  to  a 
close.  In  January,  Knox  had  reached  camp  with 
a  fine  train  of  artillery,  which,  by  a  rare  display  of 
energy  and  judgment,  he  had  succeeded  in  bring- 
ing from  Ticonderoga.  All  winter  long  the  Amer- 
icans had  been  counting  upon  the  ice  for  "  a  pas- 
sage into  Boston."  Early  in  February  the  weather 
set  in  cold  and  sharjD.  Preparations  were  made 
for  an  attack.  Greene  was  sick  with  jaundice.  "  I 
am  as  yellow  as  saffron,"  he  writes  to  his  brother 
Jacob  on  the  8th,  "  my  appetite  all  gone  and  my 
flesh  too.  I  am  so  weak  that  I  can  scarcely  walk 
across  the  room.  But  I  am  in  hopes  I  am  getting 
something  better.  I  am  grievously  mortified  at 
my  confinement,  as  this  is  a  critical,  and  will  be  to 
appearance  an  important,  period  of  the  American 
war.  Cambridge  bay  is  frozen  over ;  if  the  weather 

1  Mr.  Brown  told  me  this  himself,  a  few  years  before  his  death. 


144  LIFE    OF   NATn.\NAEL    GREENE.  [1775. 

continues  a  few  days  longer  as  cold  as  it  has  been 
a  few  days  past,  it  will  open  a  passage  into  Boston. 
Sick  or  well  I  intend  to  be  there,  if  I  am  able  to 
sit  on  horseback."  Like  Washington,  he  believed 
that  an  attack  might  succeed.  But  the  weather 
changed  before  the  attempt  could  be  made. 

All  the  heights  round  Boston  had  been  occu- 
pied except  Dorchester.  To  seize  this  w^as  like 
forcing  the  enemy  to  fight,  for  it  commanded  the 
bay  and  shipping ;  and  this  Washington  was  now 
about  to  do.  Preparations  were  made  rapidly  and 
secretly.  By  the  opening  of  March  all  was  ready. 
To  draw  off  the  enemy's  attention  from  the  point 
of  dauQ-er,  the  Americans  beo^an  to  fire  from  Cob- 
ble  Hill,  Lech  mere  Point,  and  Lamb's  Dam.  The 
British  returned  the  fire.  On  the  2d  of  March 
"there  was  an  almost  incessant  roar  of  cannon 
and  mortars  all  niii-ht  lono:."^  A  thirteen-inch  shell 
reached  Prospect  Hill  and  burst  there,  though 
w^ith  little  damage.^  A  ball  from  the  American 
ranks  struck  Brattle  Street  Church,  in  the  wall  of 
which   it  still   remains  imbedded.     On  the  nifjht 


n 


of  the  4th  the  cannonade  was  renewed,  forming 
an  almost  unbroken  line  of  fire.  For  miles  round 
the  "  houses  were  shaken,"  and  "  windows  rattled 
with  the  roar,"  hundreds  of  anxious  hearts  "  beat- 
ing pace  "  ^  with  the  cannon  all  through  the  weary 
night.  When  day  came,  people  gathered  on  Penn's 
Hill    "to  hear  the  amazins:  roar  of  cannon"  and 

o 

1  Heath,  p.  39.  »  Mrs.  Adams's  Letters,  pp.  68,  69. 

2  Ibid. 


1776.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  145 

watch  the  flight  of  shells,  seeing  distinctly  "  every 
shell  thcat  was  thrown."  "  Oh  ! "  said  they,  "  how 
many  of  our  dear  countrymen  must  fall."  ^ 

What  does  all  this  mean,  thought  the  English,  as 
they  looked  out  from  their  strong  works,  —  their 
Bunker  Hill,  which  Montresor  had  made  impregna- 
ble, and  the  battery  at  Fox  Hill,  and  the  old  and 
new  lines  that  cut  off  the  approach  by  Roxbury. 
Do  the  rebels  hope  to  burn  the  town,  and  shell  us 
out  ?  But  when  the  morrow  came,  —  the  anniver- 
sary of  that  5th  of  March  on  which  British  troops 
had  first  fired  upon  their  New  England  brothers, 
—  through  the  gray  haze  of  morning  they  saw  Dor- 
chester heights  covered  with  redoubts.  "  The  reb- 
els have  done  more  in  a  night  than  my  whole  army 
could  have  done  in  a  month,"  exclaimed  Howe ; 
and  knowing  well  that,  if  they  were  allowed  to 
hold  their  ground,  his  fleet  would  be  driven  from 
the  harbor,  he  made  immediate  preparations  for  an 
attack.  Washington,  on  his  side,  anticipating  one, 
prepared  to  meet  it,  by  sending  Putnam,  with  four 
thousand  men,  in  two  divisions,  to  attack  the  city 
on  the  water  side.  Greene,  with  the  second  di- 
vision, was  to  "  land  at  Barton's  Point,  or  rather  to 
the  south  of  it,"  secure  Copp's  Hill,  and  then 
joining  the  first  division,  under  Sullivan,  help  him 
force  the  works  at  the  Neck,  and  let  in  the  troops 
from  Roxbury.^  Both  divisions  were  drawn  up 
near  Fort  No.  2,  half  a  mile  in  front  of  the  Cam- 
bridge lines,  and  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile 

1  Mrs.  Adams's  Letters,  ut  sup.  2  Force,  Archives,  Vol.V.  p.  110. 

10 


1-lG  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREEIS'E.  [1776. 

from  Putnam's  quarters,  in  the  large  house,  still 
standing,  near  the  the  main  street  of  Cam- 
bridgeport.  He  was  there,  the  rough  old  wolf- 
hunter,  whom  men  believed  in,  though  they  had 
not  yet  seen  him  fully  tried ;  SulHvan,  too,  "  not 
very  suddenly  moved,  but  when  once  roused,  not 
very  easily  lulled " ;  ^  and  Greene,  with  thought- 
ful brow  and  glowing  eye.  Right  before  them  lay 
the  Charles,  not  now  winding  in  silence  through 
the  meadows,^  but  all  astir  with  the  din  of  prepa- 
ration and  covered  with  boats,  three  huge  floating 
batteries  among  them,  and  flatboats  that  would 
hold  forty  men  each.  And  beyond  the  broad  tract 
of  lowland,  and  broader  tract  of  bay  on  their  left, 
they  could  almost  see  the  martyr  city,  —  the 
bristling  cannon,  the  redoubts,  the  strong  lines, 
Mount  Horam,  where  the  grenadiers  lay  in  wait 
for  them,  and  Beacon  Hill,  rising  serenely  in  the 
background.  They  knew  that  hundreds  of  eyes 
were  looking  out  anxiously  from  housetop  and 
steeple,  and  every  point  which  could  give  a  glimpse 
of  the  bay.  It  was  under  the  gaze  of  all  these  eyes 
that  they  were  to  row  right  up  to  those  black  em- 
brasures. The  slow  hours  passed  heavily.  Noon, 
and  no  signal  yet  from  Roxbury  steeple ;  no  pen- 
dant on  Prospect  Hill.  Messengers  come  and  go. 
Some  of  them  must  have  brought  word  from  Dor- 

1  Mrs.  Adams  Letters  to  J.  Adams,     "  Ri^er  that  in  silence  windert, 

p    g5_  Through  the  raradows,  hritrht  and  free, 

•2   rri.        .J            .11            n    T          r  1  Till  at  length  thy  rest  thou  findest, 

^  The  reader   will  recall  Lonjrfel-  "        '    ,         ,.         ^ 

"^  In  the  bosom  of  the  gea." 
low  s  beautiful  lines  to  this  beautiful 

stream  :  — 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  147 

Chester,  that  the  British  troops  were  preparing  to 
enter  their  boats,  and  the  ships  were  all  in  line  to 
cover  the  landing,  and  take  part  in  the  assault. 
Some,  too,  may  have  told  how  Washington  had 
ridden  in  among  the  men,  and  bidden  them  re- 
member that  this  day  was  the  anniversary  of  the 
massacre. 

One  of  the  clock.  The  church-bells  are  all 
gone,  or  you  would  have  heard  their  clear  voices 
ring  it  out ;  but  the  heart  hears  them,  and  bounds 
at  the  remembrance  of  their  profanation.  And 
thus  day  passes,  and  night  closes  in  dark  and  omi- 
nous upon  unfulfilled  expectations.  And  as  the 
night,  too,  wears  on,  the  wind  rises  fast,  irresisti- 
ble. Even  the  Charles  feels  it,  and  is  agitated 
between  its  narrow  banks.  But  down  in  the  bay 
it  is  lashing  the  waters  into  waves  and  curling 
crests  of  foam.  God  has  put  forth  his  own  hand ; 
there  is  nothing  left  for  man  to  do  but  to  watch 
with  awe  the  manifestation  of  Omnipotence;^  no 
more  roaring  of  cannon  and  hurtling  of  shells 
through  the  air,  but  the  howling  of  the  wind,  and 
the  impetuous  dash  of  rain.  The  propitious  tem- 
pest continued  all  next  day. 

On  the  following  night  a  Captain  Erving  suc- 
ceeded in  making  "his  escape  out  of  Boston,"  and 
brought  word  "that  the  British  were  preparing 
to  leave  the  town."  ^     But  what  will  become  of  it 


1  "  That  this  most  remarkable  in-     Washington  to  his  brother.     Sparks, 
terposition  of  Providence  is  for  some     Vol.  III.  p.  341. 
wise  purpose  I  have  no  doubt." —        ^  Heath,  p.  41. 


148  LIFE   OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

meanwhile,  in  the  hands  of  disappointed  and  im- 
bittered  men  ?  There  were  still  anxious  da3\s  and 
nights,  especially  among  those  who  ^  did  not  know, 
as  Washington  and  his  generals  knew,  that  their 
w^ork  was  nearly  done.  On  the  13th  a  council  was 
held  at  General  Ward's  quarters  at  Roxbury, — 
Washington,  Ward,  Putnam,  Thomas,  Sullivan, 
Heath,  Greene,  Gates  being  present.  They  decided 
that,  if  the  town  were  not  evacuated  the  next  day, 
they  would  fortify  Nook's  Hill.  The  British  still 
lingered ;  and,  wearied  with  their  loitering,  Wash- 
ington brought  things  to  an  immediate  decision  by 
fortifvino;  Nook's  Hill.  Howe  had  no  choice  but  to 
flee,  or  drive  the  Americans  from  their  stronghold, 
or  see  his  ships  sunk  at  their  moorings.  On  the 
19th,  soon  after  sunrise,  boats  filled  with  sol- 
diers and  citizens  were  seen  putting  off  from  the 
wharves,  and  when  the  sun  set  the  city  was  once 
more  in  the  hands  of  its  own  people. 

1  Mrs.  Adams  writes  on  the  7th  :  it  is  wise  and  just ;  but  from  all  the 

"  I  feel  disappointed.     This  day  our  muster  and  stir,  I  hoped  and  expected 

militia  are  all  returning  without  ef-  more  important  and  decisive  results." 

fecting   anything   more    than    taking  —  Mrs.  Adams's  Letters,  p.  69. 
possession  of  Dorchester  hill.    I  hope 


CHAPTER    Y. 

Perplexing  Conduct  of  the  Enemy.  —  Fortifications  of  Boston.  — 
Greene  in  Command  of  the  City.  —  Letter  to  Colonel  Nightingale.  — 
Thursday  Lecture.  —  Marching  Orders.  —  Alarm  in  Rhode  Island. 
—  March  to  New  York.  —  Preparations  for  Defending  the  City.  — 
Greene  appointed  to  command  Fourth  Brigade.  —  Command  on 
Long  Island.  —  Fortifications.  —  Alarm  Signals.  —  Tories.  —  John 
Jay.  —  Gouverneur  Morris.  —  Reconnoitring  with  Knox.  —  Forts 
Washington  and  Independence.  —  Brigade  and  Regimental  Reports. 

TT  was  not  without  some  doubts  of  the  enemy's 
-*-  intentions  that  Washington  saw  their  fleet  still 
linger  in  the  lower  bay.  They  had  begun  the 
war,  it  was  true,  by  a  capital  error,  allowing  them- 
selves to  be  cooped  up  in  a  place  of  little  stra- 
tegic importance,,  when  by  occuj)ying  New  York 
and  seizing  the  passes  of  the  Hudson,  they  might, 
almost  without  firing  a  gun,  have  cut  oif  the  com- 
munication between  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States, 
and  secured  their  own  communication  with  Canada. 
There  was  but  little  doubt  that  this  was  now  their 
object,  and  Heath  had  already  been  sent  on  with 
his  brigade  the  day  after  the  evacuation.  But 
might  not  the  British  general,  before  he  struck 
this  blow,  attempt  with  his  concentrated  forces  a 
parting  blow  at  the  Americans  in  their  new  jDOsi- 
tion?-^     Therefore  Washington  continued  to  watch 

1  Washington's  Orders,  MSS.,  order  of  the  day  for  March  24. 


150  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

Howe's  movements,  holding  his  own  troops  well  in 
hand  and  preparing  himself  for  either  contingency. 
The  command  of  the  city  was  given  to  Greene.^ 
"  General  Greene,"  say  the  orders  of  the  day  for 
the  24th,  "  will  dispose  of  the  regiments  in  Boston 
to  the  best  advantage."  And  next  da}''  "  the 
wagon-master  and  companies  of  carpenters  in  Bos- 
ton are  to  receive  and  obey  all  such  orders  and 
directions  as  Brigadier-General  Greene  shall  think 
proper  to  give."^  And  thus  the  time  passed  fe- 
verishly on  till  the  27th,  when  the  fleet  made  sail 
and  stood  out  to  sea. 

Two  years  before,  the  British  troops  had  given 
Greene  important  lessons  in  minor  tactics  by  their 
daily  exercises  on  the  Common,  and  now  they  left 
a  still  more  important  lesson  behind  them  in  their 
works  in  the  city  and  on  Bunker  Hill.^  It  is  easy 
to  conceive  the  interest  w'ith  which  he  viewed 
them.  Fortification  was  the  only  chapter  in  the 
art  of  war  which  he  had  thus  far  studied  practi- 
cally ;  and  here  was  an  illustration  of  it  far  surpass- 
ing anything  he  had  ever  seen.  But  of  his  feel- 
ings at  the  triumph  in  which  he  had  borne  so  hon- 
orable a  part  no  record  has  been  preserved.  Our 
last  glimpse  of  him  was  on  the  5th  of  March,  wait- 
ing on  the  banks  of  the  Charles  for  the  signal  to 
embark.  Our  next  is  on  the  24th,  at  his  quarters 
in  the  redeemed  city,  writing  to  Colonel  Joseph 

1  See  Wilkinson,  Mem.,  pp.  1-33.     enemy  left  all  their  works  standing 

2  Order-book,  MSS.  in  Boston  and  on  Bnnker  Hill,  and 
*  Washiiif^ton    gives    his    impres-     formidable  ihcy  are."  —  Sparks,  Vol. 

sions  in  a  letter  to  his  brother:  "The     III.  p.  343. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  151 

Nightingale  of  Providence.  "  Rhode  Island  has  as 
good  troops  as  are  on  the  continent;  there  are 
many  excellent  under  officers ;  for  God's  sake  don't 
let  the  whole  be  defeated  and  dishonored  for  want 
of  a  commander.  You  have  it  in  your  power  now 
to  distinguish  yourself,  to  your  own  honor  and  to 
your  country's  glory.  Let  not  your  private  in- 
terest defeat  the  public  expectation.  The  eyes  of 
the  people  are  upon  you.  Make  a  noble  sacrifice 
of  your  private  interest  to  the  public  good ;  and 
give  the  world  a  convincing  proof  that  you  are 
more  social  than  selfish,  and  that  the  happiness  of 
your  country  is  a  greater  object  with  you  than  the 
increase  of  wealth." 

On  the  28th,  too,  he  must  have  been  with 
"  Washington  and  the  other  general  officers  and 
their  suites,"  when  they  marched  in  procession 
from  the  council-chamber  "  to  the  old  brick  meet- 
ing-house, ....  preceded  by  the  sheriff"  with 
his  wand,  and  attended  by  the  members  of  the 
council  who  had  had  the  small-pox,  the  committee 
of  the  House  of  Representatives,  the  selectmen, 
the  clergy,  and  many  other  gentlemen,"  to  attend 
the  reopening  of  the  Thursday  Lecture,  which  the 
Bostonians  of  that  day  regarded  as  a  sacred  bond 
connecting  them  with  their  remotest  ancestors  ;  for, 
except  during  the  last  three  months  of  the  English 
occupation,  it  had  never  been  interrupted  since  the 
foundation  of  their  city.  And  now  "  an  excellent 
and  well-adapted  discourse  was  delivered  from 
Isaiah  xxxiii.  :  ^Look  upon  Zion,  the  city  of  our 


152  LIFE   OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

solemnities ;  thine  eyes  shall  see  Jerusalem  a  quiet 
habitation,  a  tabernacle  that  shall  not  be  taken 
down ;  not  one  of  the  stakes  thereof  shall  ever  be 
removed,  neither  shall  any  of  the  cords  thereof  be 
broken.' "  And  when  the  sermon  was  over  the 
procession  formed  again  in  the  same  order  and 
marched  back  to  the  council-chamber,  and  from 
the  council-chamber  to  "  the  Bunch  of  Grapes 
tavern,  where  an  elegant  dinner  was  provided  at 
the  public  expense,  after  which  many  proper  and 
pertinent  toasts  were  drank."  "  Joy  and  grati- 
tude," says  the  contemporary  record,  "  sat  in  every 
countenance  and  smiled  in  every  eye."  ^ 

On  the  next  day  marching  orders  were  issued  for 
Monday,  April  1st,  at  sunrise.  "  Yarnum's,  Hitch- 
cock's, Little's,  Reed's,  and  Bailey's  regiments,"  say 
the  orders  of  the  29th  of  March,  "  to  march  on  Mon- 
day morning  at  sunrise.  Brigadier-General  Greene 
will  take  the  command  of  this  brigade.  Deputy 
Quartermaster-General  Park  will  provide  the  neces- 
sary teams,  and  the  Commissary-General  will  deliver 
the  provisions  for  the  march.  The  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral will  give  the  marching  orders  to  the  colonel 
commanding:  the  divisions.  The  field  officer  of 
regiments  and  captains  of  companies  will  be  an- 
swerable for  any  damage  done  to  the  barracks 
upon  their  men's  moving  out ;  therefore  it  behooves 
them  to  see  that  no  wanton  destruction  is  commit- 
ted, as  they  will  be  charged  with  a  sum  sufficient  to 

1  PennsjlvaniaEveninp Post,  April     of  the  Rcvolation,  Vol.  I.  pp.  226, 
9,    1776,   quoted   in   Moore's    Diary     227. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  153 

pay  for  repairing  the  mischief  done."  A  detachment 
from  Knox's  artillery  was  added  to  complete  the 
brigade ;  and,  to  guard  against  the  inconveniences 
which  Heath's  men  had  suflfered  on  the  road,^  each 
colonel  was  to  receive  "  a  warrant  for  five  hundred 
pounds,  lawful  money,  upon  application  at  head- 
quarters." ^  The  route  lay  through  Providence  to 
New  London,  where  transports  were  to  meet  the 
troops  and  convey  them  to  New  York. 

But  before  they  were  well  on  their  way  came 
an  express  from  Governor  Cooke,  saying  that 
"  a  ship  of  war  had  arrived  in  the  harbor  of  New- 
port, and  that  twenty-seven  ships,  undoubtedly 
having  the  ministerial  troops  on  board,  were  within 
Seconnet  Point."  Greene  was  ordered  to  hasten 
his  march,  and  a  messenger  despatched  to  Sullivan, 
who  with  six  regiments  was  on  the  road  to  Nor- 
wich, to  direct  him  to  file  off  towards  Providence.^ 
It  might  be  but  a  feint.  "  The  enemy  have  the 
best  knack  of  puzzling  people  I  ever  met  with  in 
my  life,"  Washington  had  written  Reed*  while 
watchino;  the  fleet  in  Boston  Bav,  and  this  mio-ht 
be  a  stroke  of  the  same  game.  But  a  sharp  blow 
dealt  at  Rhode  Island  would  be  felt  everywhere, 
and  counteract,  in  part,  the  injurious  effects  of  the 
evacuation  of  Boston.  So  Greene  pushed  on,  little 
doubting  that  the  tide  of  war  was  turning  towards 

1  Heath's    letter    to  President   of        ^  Force's  Archives,  tit  sup. 
Congress.    Force's  Archives,  Vol.  V.         *  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  III. 
p.  775.  p.  330. 

'■^  Order    of    the    day   for    March 
30.    Force's  Archives,  Vol.  V.  p.  757. 


154  LIFE   OF   NATIIANAEL   GREENE. 


[1776. 


his  own  home,  and  that  he  might  soon  have  to  fight 
under  the  eye  of  his  own  people. 

But  the  whole  country  was  in  a  state  of  fever- 
ish  alarm,   drending   an  attack    at   almost   every 
vulnerable  point  of  its  long  coast;  and  while  all 
were  in  this  frame  of  mind,  three  soldiers  looking 
seaward    from    a    hill   below   Newport   had   mis- 
taken the  undulations  of  the  fog  for  the  sails  of  the 
hostile  fleet.     A  messenger  had  been  immediately 
despatched  to  the  Governor  at  Providence,  and  the 
Governor,  a  man  of  decision,  had  sent  the  urgent 
tidings  to  Washington  at  Boston.     But  being  also 
a  man  of  forecast,  he  had  sent  at  the  same  time  a 
trusty  messenger  to  Newport  to  verify  the  report. 
Much  writing  and  much  riding  it  may  seem  to  us, 
wdth  our  telegraphs  and  steamboats  and  railroads ; 
but  it  took  a  night  and  a  day  to  spread  the  alann, 
and  another  night  and  day  to  contradict  it.^     And 
then,  while    the   militia-men   laid    by  their  knap- 
sacks and  guns,  and  the  farmers  w^ent  back  to  their 
fields,  and  the  merchants  drew  long  breaths,  Greene 
was  free  to  hold  on  his  way  towards  New  London, 
scarcely  turning  aside  for  a  glance  at  Coventry  and 
Potowomut  as  he  passed  along  the  familiar  roads. 
But  the  roads  were  heavy  with  the  spring  thaw, 
and  the  people  not  always  ready  to  help  with  their 
teams  when  the  baggage-horses  gave  out.     It  was 
his  first  march  with  troops,  and  easy  as  it  would 
have  seemed  two  or  three  years  later,  it  must  have 
seemed  hard  to  him  then.    At  New  London  he  met 

1  Bartlett,  Rhode  Island  Colonial  Records,  Vol.  VII.  p.  506. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.iEL    GREENE.  155 

his  old  acquaintance,  Commodore  HojDkins,  in  the 
full  flush  of  his  expedition  to  New  Providence,  and 
his  fight  with  the  Glasgow.  Here,  too,  he  found 
the  transports  that  were  to  convey  him  and  his 
brigade  to  New  York.  Before  he  was  ready  to  sail, 
Washington  passed  through  on  his  way  thither  by 
the  shore  road.  The  night  he  sailed  a  snow-storm 
came  on,  dispersing  his  little  fleet,  and  not  without 
danger  of  shipwreck.^ 

On  the  17th,^  when  he  reached  New  York,  he 
found  Washington  earnestly  engaged  in  his  prep- 
arations for  defence ;  completing  the  works  that 
had  already  been  laid  out,  and  preparing  new 
ones.  The  King's  ships,  "  instead  of  lying  within 
pistol-shot  of  the  wharves,  and  their  sentries  con- 
versing with  ours,  while  they  received  every 
necessary  that  the  country  aflbrded,"^  were  driven 
down  to  the  Hook,  and  their  intercourse  with  the 
inhabitants  cut  off!  It  "was  hard  times  for  quiet 
people."  *  New  York  was  no  more  "the  gay,  polite 
place  it  used  to  be  esteemed,  but  it  was  become 
almost  a  desert,  unless  for  the  troops."^  Disaffected 
citizens,  whose  number  was  large,  thought  it  an 
odious  restraint  upon  their  freedom,  that  they  were 
required  to  be  within  doors  by  a  stated  hour,  or 
provide  themselves  with  a  pass.® 

On  the  24th,  the  regiments  were  brigaded  anew, 

1  Force's  Archives,  Vol.  V.  p.  943.         *  Moore's  Diary  of  the  Revolution, 
Sparks's  Washington,Vol.  III.  p.  314.     Vol.  I.  p.  230. 

2  Heath,  p.  4.5.  6  Force's  Archives,  Vol.  V.  p.  1 167. 
2  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  III.     Letter  from  Rev.  John  CarroU. 

p.  376.  6  Force's  Archives. 


156  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1776. 

and  Greene  put  in  command  of  the  Fourth  Brig- 
ade, consisting  of  his  old  Rhode-Islanders,  under 
Varnum  and  Hitchcock,  and  the  regiments  under 
Wayne,  Little,  and  Irvine.  This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  his  intercourse  with  Wayne,  whom  we  by 
and  by  find  numbered  among  his  friends,  and 
whom  we  shall  meet  again  by  his  side  in  Carolina, 
and  by  his  death-bed  in  Georgia.  But  before  this 
arrangement  had  been  fully  carried  out,  news  from 
Canada  —  that  department  which  gave  Washing- 
ton "  more  trouble  and  concern  than  his  own,"  ^  — 
made  it  necessary  to  send  another  reinforcement 
to  the  Northern  army.  Sullivan  was  appointed  to 
command  it,  and  Wayne's  and  Irvine's  regiments 
placed  under  his  orders.  Greene's  brigade,  now 
counted  as  the  Third,  and  with  Hand's  regiment, 
which  took  the  place  of  Wayne's  and  Irvine's,  num- 
bered thirteen  hundred  and  seven  men  in  all  fit  for 
duty,  although  they  counted  as  seventeen  hundred 
and  sixty-one  on  the  rolls.  With  this  force  he 
was  ordered  "  to  encamp,  to-morrow  morning  at 
ten  o'clock,  on  the  ground  marked  out  upon 
Long  Island."^ 

A  broader  field  now  opened  before  him,  with  a 
wider  range  of  duties  and  a  greater  weight  of  re- 
sponsibility. Although  the  enemy  had  not  yet 
made  his  appearance,  there  could  be  little  doubt 
that  the  line  of  the  Hudson  was  his  object, 
and  that  part  of  the  first  blow,  if  not  the  whole 

1  Reed  to  Robert  Morris.    Life,  &c.         ^  Order  of  the  day  for  April  30. 
of  rrcsideut  llted,  Vol.  I.  p.  200.  Force's  Archives,  Vol.  V.  p.  1132. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  157 

weight  of  it,  would  ftill  upon  Long  Island.  To  pre- 
pare for  this  was  his  first  duty,  —  a  duty  so  similar 
to  that  of  the  last  campaign,  that,  as  he  made  his 
daily  rounds  among  the  works,  and  daily  revolved  in 
his  mind  his  means  of  defence,  and  the  possibility 
of  strengthening  them,  it  must  have  seemed  to  him 
as  if  he  had  been  merely  applying  the  lessons  of 
that  campaign  to  a  new  field. 

Of  the  many  wants  of  our  army,  there  was  none 
greater  or  more  deeply  felt  than  the  want  of  scien- 
tific engineers.  Gridley,  whom  Washington  had 
been  taught  to  look  upon  as  "  one  of  the  first 
engineers  of  the  age,"  ^  had  proved  sadly  wanting 
in  energy,  and  was  still  slowly  carrying  out  the 
new  plans  for  the  defence  of  Boston.^  Rufus  Put- 
nam had  given  proof  of  talent  and  energy,  but 
was  deficient  in  scientific  training.  The  works  at 
Cambridge  had  been  "  planned  by  a  few  of  the 
principal  officers  of  the  army,  assisted  by  Mr. 
Knox,  a  gentleman  from  Worcester."^  "I  have 
but  one,"  writes  Washington,  in  June,  "  on  whose 
judgment  I  should  wish  to  rely  in  laying  out 
works  of  the  least  consequence."  *  Greene's  taste 
for  mathematics  was  too  much  akin  to  these  studies 
not  to  give  them  a  scientific  as  well  as  a  practical 
interest  in  his  eyes.  But  the  first  idea  of  the 
works  at  Brooklyn  was  suggested  by  Lee,^  and  it 
is  impossible  to  determine  with  certainty  how  far 

1  Sparks's  Washington.  *   Ut  sup.,  p.  427. 

^  Ibid.  6  Sparks's  Correspondence  of  the 

2  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  III.     Revolution,  Vol.  L  p.  158. 
p.  138. 


158  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.\J:L    GREENE.  [1776. 

his  plans  were  changed,  or  how  fully  they  were 
carried  out  by  his  successors.  Still,  very  little  had 
been  accomplished  when  Greene  took  the  com- 
mand, and  all  that  was  done  after  the  1st  of  May 
belongs  to  him.  "  The  rebel  works  were  judiciously 
planned,  but  ill  executed,"  said  Captain  Montresor, 
one  of  the  most  skilful  of  the  British  engineers,  in 
his  examination  before  a  Parliamentary  commit- 
tee.^ However  this  may  be,  they  saved  the  Ameri- 
can army. 

Brooklyn  at  that  time,  or  Brookland  as  General 
Greene  often  calls  it,  might  be  regarded  as  a  nar- 
row peninsula,  separated  from  the  main  body  of 
Long  Island  by  Wallabout  Bay,  a  broad  indenture 
on  the  north,  and  Gowanus  or  Gowan's  Cove  and 
Creek,  which  ran  deep  into  the  land  from  the 
south.  Thus  the  land  line  was  reduced  to  little 
more  than  a  mile  and  a  third,  presenting,  as  it 
were,  a  natural  front  to  an  enemy  and  resting 
both  flanks  on  the  water.  Within  this  line,  and  on 
the  heights  near  the  water,  Lee  had  built  a  redoubt, 
by  means  of  which,  in  conjunction  with  a  battery 
on  the  Manhattan  side,  he  hoped  to  secure  the  en- 
trance of  the  East  River.  He  had  also  chosen  the 
site  for  two  other  redoubts,  thus  forming  an  "in- 
trenched encampment "  large  enough  for  three 
thousand  men.^  Upon  this  basis  Greene  began  his 
work.  Near  the  Wallabout,  where  are  now  Fort 
Greene  and  Washington  Square,  stood  a  wooded 

1  Quoted  by  Reed.     Life  and  Cor-        *  Sparks's  Correspondence  of  the 
rcspondence  of  President  Reed,  Vol.     Revolution,  Vol.  I.  pp.  153-  158. 
I.  p.  224,  note, 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  159 

hill  commanding  a  water  range  of  a  little  over  a 
mile,  from  Wallabout  Bay  to  Corlear's  Hook,  and  a 
land  range  which  covered  the  two  principal  roads 
from  the  interior  of  the  island.  On  this  he  built 
Fort  Putnam,  a  redoubt  with  five  guns,  and  cut- 
ting down  the  trees,  brought  the  roads  under  the 
fire  of  his  guns.  The  approaches  on  the  north 
were  secured  bv  an  intrenchment  runnino;  in  a 
northwesterly  line  down  the  hillside  to  the  brink 
of  the  Wallabout.  Another  zigzag  intrenchment 
connected  it  with  Freek's  Mill  pond,  a  body  of  wa- 
ter at  the  head  of  Gowanus  Creek ;  and,  to  make 
this  entrenchment,  already  so  well  protected  by  the 
nature  of  the  ground,  still  easier  to  defend,  he 
strengthened  it  by  another  redoubt  of  five  guns, 
half-way  between  the  millpond  and  Fort  Putnam. 
This,  proper  names  being  the  order  of  the  day,  he 
named,  or  some  one  named  for  him,  Fort  Greene. 
Near  the  head  of  the  creek,  and  still  within  the 
peninsula,  was  another  high  hill,  called  Cobble  Hill 
by  the  English  settlers,  but  Ponkiesberg  by  the 
Dutch.  On  this  a  third  redoubt  was  built,  armed 
with  three  guns  and  strengthened  by  an  intrench- 
ment which,  running  spirally  down  the  cone-shaped 
hill,  procured  the  works  the  characteristic  name  of 
the  Corkscrew  Fort.  Between  this  fort  and  Gowa- 
nus Cove  was  Box-hill  Fort,  a  fourth  redoubt ;  and 
two  more  small  redoubts,  one  on  the  slope  of  Ber- 
gen Hill  and  one  near  the  Jamaica  road,  and  a  little 
south  of  Fort  Putnam,  completed  the  lines  of  de- 
fence on  the  land  side.    On  the  water  side  a  strong 


IGO  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREEXE.  [1776. 

guard  was  stationed  at  Red  Plook,  where  works  had 
ah'eady  been  thrown  up,  and  another  at  Governor's 
Island,  half-way  between  Red  Hook  and  the  Bat- 
tery. Hand's  regiment  was  stationed  at  the  Nar- 
rows, to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  from  that  important 
point,  and  the  shore  carefully  patrolled  ;  and,  to 
prepare  himself  for  defending  the  ground  between 
his  lines  and  the  landing-places  on  the  coast, 
Greene  made  a  careful  study  of  it  in  every  direc- 
tion.^ 

His  first  care  was  to  push  on  his  works  as  rapid- 
ly as  his  means  would  permit.  But  while  part  of 
his  small  force  was  working  with  the  spade,  large 
numbers  were  also  required  for  guards.  "  I  can- 
not safely  enlarge  the  fatigue  party,"  he  writes 
in  July,  "without  injuring  the  health  of  the 
people,  for  they  are  one  day  on  and  one  day  off 
duty  now." 

To  secure  the  earliest  intelligence  of  the  enemy's 
approach,  a  system  of  signals  was  planned  by  a 
committee  composed  of  Sullivan,  Greene,  and  Stir- 
ling. "  Upon  the  appearance  of  any  number  of 
ships  by  day,  from  one  to  six,  a  large  flag  is  to  be 
hoisted  on  the  highlands  of  Neversink;  upon  the 
appearance  of  any  number,  from  six  to  twenty, 
two  flags,  and  for  any  greater  number,  three  flags. 
These  flags  are  to  be  hoisted  upon  flagstaffs  ar- 
ranged there,  from  east  to  west,  at  twenty  yards' 
distance  from  each  other.     The  signals  by  night  to 

1  In  the  topographical  part  of  this     Lossing's  Field-Book  of  the  Revolu- 
description  I  have  made  free  use  of    tion,  Vol.  II.  Ch.  XXIII. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  161 

be  given  by  an  equal  number  of  fires,  arranged  in 
the  same  order  and  at  the  same  places.  These 
signals  to  be  reported,  both  by  day  and  night,  on 
the   heights   of  Staten  Island,  by  flags  and  fires 

arrano;ed  in  the  same    manner We  recom- 

mend  that  the  day  signal  be  given  by  large 
ensigns,  with  broad  stripes  of  red  and  white,  and 
that  upon  the  appearance  of  three  flags  by  day,  or 
three  fires  by  night,  the  country  is  to  take  the 
alarm,  and  communicate  it  as  soon  as  possible,  for 
the  purpose  of  calling  in  the  militia."  A  good  look- 
out was  to  be  kept  up  day  and  night,  and  in 
addition  to  the  alarm  by  flag,  "intelligence  to 
be  given  by  express  to  the  Commander-in-chief."  ^ 
The  militia,  by  order  of  the  Committee  of  Safety, 
had  a  "  rendezvous  appointed  "  for  each  regiment, 
and  riders  were  kept  in  readiness,  day  and  night, 
to  spread  the  alarm. 

While  he  was  thus  actively  engaged  in  prepar- 
ing to  meet  the  open  attack  of  an  enemy  from 
without,  a  less  congenial  vigilance  was  forced  upon 
him  by  an  enemy  within.  Like  all  her  sister  Colo- 
nies, New  York  had  her  full  share  of  Tories ;  and 
on  Long  Island  the  number  was  so  great  as  to  give 
just  grounds  for  anxiety.  Should  the  king's  troops 
succeed  in  effecting  a  landing,  and  putting  them- 
selves in  direct  communication  with  these  partisans 
of  the  crown,  their  familiarity  with  the  country 
would  make  them  invaluable  assistants  in  every 
operation  of  the  enemy.     Meanwhile,  they  served 

1  Force,  American  Archives,  Vol.  V.  p.  1473. 
11 


162  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

as  spies  upon  the  patriot  army,  and  as  a  check  upon 
the  actions  of  the  patriot  citizens.  Some  made  no 
secret  of  their  predilections  ;  some  temporized  and 
tried  to  lull  suspicion ;  nearlj'^  all  were  prepared 
to  welcome  the  invading  army  the  moment  it  ap- 
peared, and  work  covertly  the  while  to  make  its 
landing  and  advance  easy.  And  in  doing  this 
they  made  skilful  use  of  exaggerated  statements, 
false  reports,  malignant  slanders,  and  all  those  dan- 
gerous arts  which  add  so  much  to  the  peril  and 
bitterness  of  civil  war. 

The  part  of  the  military  arm  in  this  matter  was 
exceedingly  delicate ;  for  at  such  moments  nothing 
is  easier  than  to  raise  the  cry  of  despotism  and 
military  usurpation.  "  I  will  lend  any  aid  in  my 
power  that  shall  be  thought  within  the  line  of  my 
department,"  wrote  Washington  to  the  Committee 
of  Safety,  "  to  root  out  or  secure  such  abominable 
pests  of  society."^  And  with  his  usual  judgment 
he  continued  to  act  as  the  apparent  agent  of  the 
Committee,  while,  as  with  the  Congress,  he  con- 
trolled, in  a  measure,  and  inspired  their  counsels  by 
his  admirable  letters.  Greene's  duty  was,  in  the 
main,  purely  executive.  "I  send  you  prisoner," 
he  writes  to  the  Provincial  Congress  on  the  6th  of 
June,  "  Mr.  John  Livingston  and  his  barber,  taken 
into  custody  by  order  of  the  committee  of  Jamaica, 
as  you  will  see  by  the  papers  accompanying  this. 
He  was  delivered  by  the  captain  of  the  minute 
company  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Cornwcll,  who  com- 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  III.  p.  391. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  163 

manded  a  detachment  frpm  this  division  of  the 
army,  by  order  of  General  Putnam,  to  Hempstead. 
The  captain  requested  that  he  might  be  dehvered 
safely  into  the  hands  of  the  Congress ;  accordingly 
I  have  sent  him  (Livingston)  and  his  barber  under 
the  care  of  a  number  of  officers.  It  is  notorious 
that  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Queen's  County 
are  very  unfriendly.  Arms,  I  am  informed  by  the 
officers  of  my  brigade,  are  daily  carrying  by  the 
camp  down  into  that  part  of  the  island,  and  the 
inhabitants  here  say  they  are  the  very  people  that 
are  known  to  be  unfriendly.  I  should  be  glad  to 
know  whether  you  approve  or  disapprove  of  such 
a  practice.  The  officers  tell  me  that  not  less  than 
four  or  five  hundred  stand  of  arms  have  gone  by 
the  camp  within  a  few  days.  I  have  given  orders 
to  stop  all  for  the  future  until  I  know  your 
pleasure." 

But  when  the  enemy  came  and  the  danger  grew 
more  imminent,  it  sometimes  was  necessary  to  act 
without  waiting  for  the  previous  action  of  the 
Committee.  "  I  shall  send  in,"  he  writes  to  Wash- 
ington, August  4th,  "  a  list  of  the  persons  proper 
to  be  taken  up  on  the  Island."  -^  On  the  11th  he 
sends  a  list  of  thirty-seven  names,  prepared  with  the 
aid  of  "  Mr.  Skinner,  a  young  gentleman  bred  to  the 
practice  of  the  law,  and  perfectly  acquainted  w^ith 
almost  all  the  political  characters  in  the  Province. 
....  Your  Excellency  will  please  to  examine  it, 
and  if  it  meets  your  approbation,  signify  the  time 

1  Force,  Archives,  5th  Series,  Vol.  I.  p.  750. 


164  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1776. 

you  will  have  the  execution  take  place  by  giving 
3'our  orders  on  the  back  of  the  list."  The  day 
before  he  had  "  sent  over  nine  suspected  Tories  to 
the  City  Hall,"  one  of  whom  did  "  not  seem  to  be 

an  object  worth  sending  aw^ay Among  the 

others  there  were  several  insignificant  characters. 
How  extensive  their  influence  may  be  I  can't  pre- 
tend to  divine ;  but  from  their  appearance  they 
don't  look  like  doing  much  mischief"  The  Tories, 
however,  were  upon  the  lookout,  and,  either  from 
the  suspicion  natural  to  their  position  or  fore- 
w^arned  by  friends  with  whom  old  associations 
were  more  powerful  than  public  duty,  "  many  of 
them  had  gone  off."  "  I  wonder,"  Greene  writes, 
"wdicther  anything  of  this  sort  has  been  in  con- 
templation by  the  Provincial  Congress.  It  is  sur- 
prising to  me  how  it  could  be  known." 

Sometimes,  with  all  his  earnestness,  he  found  it 
difficult  to  conduct  the  examination  with  a  sober 
face.  "  I  have  examined  the  prisoners,"  he  writes 
on  the  27th  of  July,  "  and  find  them  to  be  a  parcel 
of  poor,  ignorant,  cow^ardly  fellows.  Two  are 
tailors,  named  John  and  James  Dunbar,  and  the 
other  two  are  common  laborers,  named  Isaac  Petit 
and  Will.  Smith.  They  candidly  confess  they  set 
off  with  an  intention  of  going  to  Staten  Island, 
but  not  with  any  intention  of  joining  the  enemy, 
but  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  fighting  here.  I  be- 
lieve the  true  reasons  of  their  attempting  to  make 
their  escape  were,  there  has  been  a  draft  among 
the  militia  to  fill  the  new  levies,  and  it  was  rumored 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  165 

these  were  a  part  that  were  drawn.  It  was  also 
reported  they  were  to  go  into  the  Northern  army, 
and  that  ahnost  all  that  went  there  died  or  were 
killed.  The  prospect  was  so  shocking  to  them, 
and  to  their  grandmothers  and  aunts,  I  believe 
they  persuaded  them  to  run  away.  Never  did  I 
see  fellows  more  frightened ;  they  wept  like  a  par- 
cel of  children,  and  appear  exceeding  sorrowful. 
One  of  them  is  in  an  exceeding  ill  state  of  health, 
very  unfit  for  any  fatigue.  I  beg  your  Excel- 
lency's direction  how  to  dispose  of  them ;  they 
don't  appear  to  be  acquainted  with  one  pubhc  mat- 
ter ;  they  have  been  Toryish,  but  I  fancy  not  from 
principle,  but  from  its  being  the  prevailing  senti- 
ment in  the  country."  ^ 

Such  cases,  however,  were  rare,  and  the  larger 
part  of  the  disaffected,  as  the  sequel  proved,  were 
both  willins;  and  able  to  fi2;ht  in  their  bad  cause. 
Sometimes  they  collected  in  numbers.  "  I  re- 
ceived information  last  evening,"  he  writes  on  the 
27th  of  July,  "of  there  being  thirty  or  forty  Tories 
on  a  little  island  at  the  entrance  of  Jamaica  Bay, 
Three  boats  full  of  men  were  seen  off  there  day 
before  yesterday,  but  they  did  not  land  nor  speak 
with  any  boats,  that  the  guards  could  discover.  I 
sent  a  party  of  sixty  men  to  scour  the  island  this 
morning,  and  to  take   all  they  found   there  pris- 


oners." ^ 


Sometimes  his  pen  has  the  ring  of  the  sword  in 

1  Force,  Archives,  5th  Series,  Vol.        ^  Force,  Archives,  ut  sup.,  p.  621. 
I.  pp.  621,  622. 


16G  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

it.  "In  obedience  to  the  within  order  and  war- 
rant, I  sent  a  detachmennt  of  my  brigade,  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  Vernon,  to  the  house  of 
the  within  named  David  Mathews,  Esq.,  at  Flat- 
bush,  who  surrounded  his  house  and  seized  his  per- 
son, precisely  at  the  hour  of  one  this  morning. 
After  having  made  him  a  prisoner,  diligent  search 
was  made  after  his  papers;  but  none  could  be  found, 
notwithstanding  great  care  was  taken  that  none  of 
the  family  should  have  the  least  opportunity  to 
remove  or  destroy  them."^ 

These  were  stern  measures;  but  "matters,"  wrote 
Washington,   "are   too   far   advanced    to   sacrifice 

anything  to  punctilios My  tenderness  has 

been  often  abused,  and  I  have  had  reason  to 
repent  the  indulgence  shown  to  them."^  Lenity, 
indeed,  was  attributed  to  fear ;  but  when  men 
who,  like  Mathews,  were  suspected,  upon  strong 
grounds,  of  conspiring  against  the  new  government 
were  subjected  to  the  restraints  which  duty  to  it- 
self and  to  the  people  compelled  it  to  impose,  they 
talked  loudly  of  violated  rights  and  injured  inno- 
cence.^ 

But  why  revive  these  obscure  details?  Because 
I  would  show  how  the  earnest,  single-minded  men 
looked  upon  their  duty,  and  did  it ;   accepting  war 

1  The  warrant,  under  date  of  Juno  ^  Mathews's  Letters,  and  the  reply 
21,  1776,  and  bearinfj  the  sijrnatures  of  the  New  York  Convention,  Au- 
of  I'hilip  Liviii(:ston,  John  Jay,  and  gust  28,  1776,  are  deservinj^  of  care- 
Gouveniciir  Morris,  is  pivcn  in  full  in  ful  perusal.  See  Force,  Archives, 
Force's  Archives.  Vol.  VI.  p.  1158.  5th  Series,  Vol.  I.  p.  1549  el  scq. 

2  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  III. 
p.  452. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  167 

for  what  it  was,  —  the  dominion  of  the  strong  hand 
and  resolute  will,  —  and  civil  war  as  a  condition 
which  permitted  no  neutrality.  When  the  war 
was  over,  General  Greene  made  himself  many  ene- 
mies, both  in  South  Carolina  and  in  Rhode  Island, 
by  opposing  the  exclusion  of  the  Tories  as  im- 
politic in  a  country  which  required  population,  and 
unjust  as  punishing  opinions  which  could  no  longer 
do  harm,  and  which  twenty  years  earlier  had  been 
held  by  Whig  and  Tory  alike.  But  while  the  war 
lasted  no  one  kept  them  more  sternly  in  check 
than  he.  It  was  some  compensation  for  this  un- 
pleasant duty,  that  it  brought  him  into  intercourse 
with  John  Jay  and  Gouverneur  Morris,-^  leading 
members  of  the  secret  committee  of  the  Provincial 
Congress.  And  it  was  a  pleasant  relief  from  the  in- 
spection of  works  already  planned  to  ride  up  with 
other  officers,  or  with  Knox  alone,  and  study  the 
ground  on  Manhattan  Island  that  was  to  become 
the  scene  of  action.  "  I  am  obliged  to  defer  going 
up  to  King's  Bridge  till  another  day,"  he  writes  to 
Knox  the  29th  of  May,  "being  under  obligation 
to  go  to  New  Utrecht  this  morning,  and  to  wait  on 
the  Committee  of  Safety  of  this  town  this  after- 
noon about  some  business I  will  endeavor  to 

see  you  this  afternoon,  and  fix  upon  some  other 
time  for  reconnoitring  the  ground  up  and  about 
King's  Bridge."     Knox,  upon  whom  much  of  the 

1  Jay  took  a  leadings  part  in  the     See  Life  of  John  Jay,  by  his  son  Wil- 
measures  against  the  Tories,  repug-     Ham  Jay,  Vol.  I.  p.  48  et  seq. 
nant  as  severity  was  to  his  feelings. 


108  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENK  [1776. 

duty  of  an  engineer  devolved,  was  glad  to  have 
such  a  companion  in  his  studies,  and  Greene,  who 
had  been  early  drawn  towards  Knox  by  his  warm 
heart  and  sound  mind,  loved  to  be  with  him. 
Sometimes  other  officers  accompanied  them,  and  it 
was  on  one  of  these  reconnoitring  expeditions 
that  "the  commandino;  heio;ht  near  Morris's  house" 
was  pointed  out  "  as  a  position  which,  if  properly 
fortified,  would  be  nearly  impregnable."  So,  among 
others,  thought  Putnam.  Some  insisted,  with 
Greene  and  Heath,  that,  even  if  it  were  "  made  as 
strong  as  Gibraltar,"  it  would  be  a  mere  trajD  from 
which  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  army  to  ex- 
tricate itself,  unless  the  high  grounds  above  the 
bridge  were  occupied  at  the  same  time.^  Both 
opinions  were  accepted,  and  Fort  Washington  was 
built  on  the  first  height  and  Fort  Independence  on 
the  second. 

At  the  camp  before  Boston,  Greene's  regiments 
had  been  distinguished  as  the  best  disciplined  in 
the  army.  Since  then  many  changes  had  taken 
place  in  the  organization  of  his  brigade,  and  his 
new  troops  had  not  yet  had  time  to  acquire  the 
precision  of  the  old.  Still,  mixing  with  them,  and 
working  and  living  together,  an  attachment  sprang 
up  between  the  new  and  old  regiments  which  he 
carefully  fostered  as  a  means  of  success.  He  seems, 
too,  to  have  fully  appreciated  the  importance  of 
exact  and  regular  reports,  both  for  preserving  dis- 
cipline by  keeping  officer  and  soldier  constantly 

1  Keath,  Mem.,  p.  52. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  169. 

under  the  eye  of  their  commander,  and  for  ena- 
bhng  him,  by  reference  to  his  returns,  to  ascertain 
at  any  moment  the  number  and  condition  of  his 
men.  The  state  of  each  company  was  the  subject 
of  a  morning  report,  from  the  corporal  to  every 
officer  in  the  company ;  the  state  of  each  regiment, 
of  a  daily  report  from  the  adjutant  to  the  com- 
manding officer ;  there  were  daily  reports  of  the 
sick  and  absent;  provision  reports  every  other 
day  to  the  quartermaster;  returns  from  the  adju- 
tant three  times  a  week,  and  the  same  number  of 
returns  from  the  surgeon  ;  daily  reports  of  guards, 
and  twice  a  week  reports  of  arms  and  ammunition. 
These,  with  courts-martial,  orders,  papers,  and  cor- 
respondence, required  a  ream  of  paper  a  month 
for  each  regiment ;  and,  much  as  they  fell  short  of 
the  completeness  and  accuracy  introduced  by  Steu- 
ben, were  of  great  service,  and,  when  regularly 
carried  out,  must  have  contributed  materially  to 
lighten  the  burden  that  lay  so  heavy  upon  Wash- 
ington's shoulders.  Greene  spared  no  pains  to 
make  them  effective  in  his  brigade.^ 

1  See  estimate  of  the  quantity  of    American  Archives,  5th  Series,  Vol. 
paper   necessary  for  each    re<riment     I.  p.  578. 
of  General  Greene's  brigade.    Force, 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Death  of  Governor  Ward.  —  Correspondence  with  John  Adams.  — 
Tone  and  Character  of  it.  —  The  new  Army.  —  Difficulties  in  Rais- 
ins and  Orsanizing  it.  —  Provisions  for  the  Disabled.  —  Condition  of 
the  Officers.  —  Principles  of  Promotion.  —  Insufliiient  Pay  of  Sol- 
diers and  Officers.  —  Exaggerated  Ideas  of  the  Strength  of  the  Army. 
—  Rhode  Island  Declaration  of  Independence.  —  Letters  to  Wash- 
ington. —  Alexander  Hamilton.  — Mrs.  Greene,  at  Camp. 

TT  has  been  seen  that  Greene  took  great  pleasure 
-"-  in  writing  to  Governor  Ward,  not  merely  as  a 
duty  of  friendship,  but  in  order  to  bring  his  ideas 
upon  the  important  questions  of  the  day  before  an 
active  and  influential  member  of  Congress,  On 
the  2Gth  of  March  Ward  died  of  the  small-pox, 
which  was  still  committino;  its  fearful  ravao;es 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land, 
decimating  the  army  in  Canada,  and  knocking  with 
livid  hand  at  the  doors  of  the  national  council 
in  Philadelphia.  Some  had  guarded  themselves 
against  it  by  inoculation ;  but  Ward,  by  one  of 
those  inconsistencies  which  we  often  find  in  the 
most  enlightened  men,  felt  that  he  had  no  time  to 
be  inoculated  ;  and  when  the  disease  came,  the  blow 
was  sure.^     And  thus  he  died,  a  wise,  pure-minded, 

1  John  Adams,  in  a  letter  to  liis  Island.by  the  small-pox,  in  the  natural 

wife,  says :  "  We  have  liiis  wock  lost  way.      He  never  would   hearken  to 

a  very  valuahle  friend  of  the  Colo-  his  friends,  wiio  have  been  constantly 

nies   in   Governor   Ward   of  Rhode  advising  him  to  be  inoculated  ever 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  171 

earnest  man,  whose  merit  Congress  recognized  so 
fully,  that,  in  committee  of  the  whole,  although 
coming  from  the  smallest  of  the  Colonies  but  one, 
he  was  almost  constantly  called  to  the  chair ;  an 
early  advocate  of  independence,  although  he  did 
not  live  to  take  a  part  in  the  final  discussion ; 
a  firm  believer  in  the  happy  issue  of  the  war,  al- 
though he  was  not  permitted  to  witness  even  the 
evacuation  of  Boston ;  one  whose  innate  upright- 
ness and  steadfast  loyalty  to  truth  and  honor  were 
soon  greatly  missed  in  Congress,  and  whom  Rhode 
Island  could  ill  spare,  in  shaping  the  path  that  was 
to  lead  her  from  the  insulation  of  Colonial  life  to 
her  higher  destiny  as  a  member  of  a  great  and 
indissoluble  Union. 

Greene  felt  the  loss  keenly ;  for  to  whom  could 
he  now  tell  his  thoughts  and  feelings  upon  all  these 
great  questions,  without  reserve  ?  For  a  while  he 
wrote  with  much  fulness  and  freedom  to  John 
Adams,  whose  acquaintance  he  would  naturally 
have  made  at  Cambridge  the  preceding  autumn, 
if  indeed  he  had  not  already  known  him  during 
that  earlier  period  of  the  contest  in  which  Adams 
took  so  prominent  a  part.  The  character  of  his 
letters  is  still  the  same,  —  a  close,  careful  study  of 
the  situation,  and  an  earnest  search  after  the  rem- 
edy.    The  army  is  still  foremost  in  his  thoughts, 

since  the  first  Congress  began.     But        But  in  a  letter  of  January  7,  to  his 

he  would   not   be  persuaded daughter  Deborah,  Governor   Ward 

He  must  take  it  in  the  natural  way."  writes  :  "  I  am  not  likely  to  get  time  to 

—  Letters  of  John  Adams  to  his  Wife,  be  inoculated." 
p.  92. 


172  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

for  it  is  by  the  arm}'"  that  the  controversy  is  to  be 
decided.  And  how  to  fdl  its  ranks,  and  to  keep 
them  full,  is  still  the  prominent  question ;  for  it 
was  well  known  that  the  enemy  had  filled  theirs 
by  means  which  showed  that  they  had  no  scruples 
about  bloodshed.  Nothins;  could  have  broui2;lit  out 
in  a  strono-er  lio-ht  Enii-land's  utter  ignorance  of 
the  American  character,  than  her  employment  of 
foreign  mercenaries  in  enforcing  unconstitutional 
acts ;  and  from  the  hour  in  which  the  first  Hessian 
put  his  foot  upon  American  soil,  a  return  to  the 
affectionate  relation  of  parent  and  child  became  im- 
possible. Still,  while  the  under-current  was  setting 
more  decidedly  towards  independence,  there  were 
many  things  on  the  surface  to  make  thought- 
ful men  anxious.^  There  could  be  no  question 
about  the  result,  if  all  the  resources  of  the  coun- 
try were  developed  ;  but  Greene  had  watched  the 
course  of  Congress  too  closely,  and  knew  too  much 
about  its  internal  dissensions,  not  to  entertain  se- 
rious doubts  about  its  power  to  develop  those 
resources  seasonably  and  effectively.  One  great 
opportunity  of  securing  an  army  for  the  whole 
■war  had  been  permitted  to  slip  by  unheeded.  Was 
there  sufficient  o-round  for  believino;  that  the  mis- 
take  would  not  be  repeated  ? 

"The  peculiar  situation  of  affairs,"  he  writes  on 
the  2Cth  of  May,  "renders  it  necessary  to  adopt 

1  In  our  general  aoreptancc  of  the     Dickinson  and  Robert  Morris  thought 
doctrine  of  independence,  we  too  of-     the  declaratiun  of  it  premature, 
ten   forget  that  sucli   men  as  Juim 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  173 

every  measure  that  will  engage  people  in  the  ser- 
vice." But  the  people  had  already  discovered  that 
there  was  a  vast  difference  between  sitting:  on 
committees  of  safety  or  discussing  questions  in 
Congress  and  working  upon  intrenchnients  or 
facing  the  enemy  in  the  field.  "If  I  am  to  form 
a  judgment  of  the  success  of  recruiting,"  he  says  in 
the  same  letter,  "from  what  is  past,  the  time  is 
too  short  to  raise  the  troops  and  be  in  readiness  to 
meet  the  enemy;  and  as  every  argument  has  been 
made  use  of  upon  the  present  plan  of  recruiting 
to  engage  people  in  the  service,  there  must  be 
some  new  motive  added  to  quicken  the  motions 
of  the  recruiting  parties From  the  ap- 
proaching danger,  recruiting  will  grow  more  and 
more  difficult.  If  the  Congress  was  to  fix  a  certain 
support  upon  every  officer  and  soldier  that  got 
maimed  in  the  service,  or  upon  the  families  of 
those  that  were  killed,  it  would  have  as  happy  an 
influence  towards  engaging  people  in  the  service, 
and  inspire  those  engaged  with  as  much  courage, 
as  any  measure  that  could  be  fixt  upon.  I  think  it 
is  nothing  more  than  common  justice,  neither;  it 
puts  those  in  and  out  of  the  army  upon  a  more 
equal  footing  than  at  present.  I  have  not  time  to 
add  anything  more.  Major  Frazier  is  waiting  for 
this ;  the  desperate  game  you  have  got  to  play,  and 
the  uncertainty  of  war,  may  render  every  measure 
that  will  increase  the  force  and  strength  of  the 
American  army  worthy  consideration." 

Adams  agreed  with  him  about  the  justice  of  the 


174  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

measure,  but  doubted  its  acceptance  by  Congress. 
"I  could  wish,"  writes  Greene  on  the  2d  of  June, 
"  the  Congress  to  think  seriously  of  the  matter, 
both  with  respect  to  the  justice  and  utility  of  the 
measure.  Is  it  not  inhuman  to  suffer  those  that 
have  fought  nobly  in  the  cause  to  be  reduced  to 
the  necessity  of  getting  a  support  by  common 
charity  ?  Does  not  this  militate  wath  the  free  and 
independent  principles  we  are  endeavoring  to 
support?  Is  it  not  equitable  that  the  States 
who  received  the  benefit  should  be  at  the  ex- 
pense ?  ....  I  think  it  w^ould  be  right  and  just 
for  every  government  to  furnish  their  equal  pro- 
portion of  troops  or  contribute  to  the  support  of 

those  that  are   sent  by  other  Colonies 

Can  there  be  anything  more  humiliating  than 
this  consideration  to  those  that  are  in  the  army, 
or  to  those  that  have  a  mind  to  come  in  it,  than 
this  ?  If  I  meet  wdth  a  misfortune,  I  shall  be 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  begging  my  bread. 
....  On  the  contrary,  if  there  were  a  support 
established,  what  confidence  would  it  give  to  those 
engaged,  what  encouragement  to  those  that  are 
not.  Good  policy  points  out  the  measure  ;  human- 
ity calls  for  it;  justice  claims  it  at  your  hands." 
He  regards  "  the  dispute  as  in  its  infancy,"  and 
urges  that  "  nothing  should  be  neglected  to  en- 
courage people  to  engage  or  to  render  those  easy, 
contented,  and  happy  that  are  engaged.  Good 
covering  is  an  object  of  the  first  consideration. 
.  .  .  .  A  few  troops,  well  accommodated,  healthy 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  175 

and  spirited,  will  do  more  service  to  the  State  that 
employs  them  than  a  much  larger  number  that  are 
sickly,  dispirited,  and  discontented.  This  is  the 
unhappy  state  of  the  army  at  this  time,  arising 
from  the  badness  of  the  tents." 

He  calls  Adams's  attention  also  to  the  condition 
of  the  officers,  whom  he  terms  "  the  very  soul  of 
an  army,"  for  "the  activity  and  zeal  of  the  troops 
entirely  depends  upon  the  animation  given  them 

by   their   officers The    field    officers    in 

general,  and  the  colonels  of  regiments  in  par- 
ticular, think  themselves  grievously  burthened 
upon  the  present  establishment  ;  few,  if  any,  of 
that  rank  that  are  worth  retaining  in  service  will 
continue,  if  any  dependence  is  to  be  made  upon 
the  discontent  that  appears."  One  of  their  griev- 
ances was  "  the  necessity  of  acting  as  factors  of  the 
regiments,  ....  drawing  from  the  Continental 
stores  by  wholesale,  and  delivering  out  to  the 
troops  by  retail,"  greatly  to  the  loss  "  of  such  as 
were  bad  accountants."  This,  says  he,  "  is  no  part 
of  the  duty  of  a  colonel  of  a  regiment,  and  (from) 
the  mode  in  which  the  business  has  been  con- 
ducted, too  much  of  their  time  has  been  engaged 
in  that  employment  for  the  good  of  the  service." 
He  proposes  as  a  remedy  that  "  there  should  be 
an  agent  for  each  regiment  to  provide  the  troops 
with  clothing  on  the  easiest  terms." 

Another  cause  of  complaint  was  the  insufficiency 
of  their  pay.  "  They  say,  and  I  believe  with  too 
much  truth,  that  their  pay  will  not  defray  their 


176  UFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE,  [1776. 

expenses The  dispute  begins  to  be  reduced 

to  a  national  principle,  and  the  longer  it  con- 
tinues the  more  will  that  idea  prevail.  People 
engaged  in  the  service  in  the  early  part  of  the 
dispute  without  any  consideration  of  pay  reward  ; 
few,  if  an}'',  thought  of  its  continuance ;  but  its 
duration  will  reduce  all  that  have  not  indepen- 
dent fortunes  to  attend  to  their  family  concerns." 
Novelty  may  attract  new  men  to  the  service,  if 
the  present  officers  quit  it,  but  that  will  not  make 
up  for  "  the  injury  the  army  sustains  by  the  loss 
of  every  good  officer.  A  young  officer,  without 
any  experience  in  the  military  art  and  knowledge 
of  mankind,  unless  he  has  a  very  uncommon  genius, 
must  be  totally  unfit  to  command  a  regiment." 

There  was  still  another  cause  of  uneasiness,  —  a 
recent  resolve  of  Congress  on  which  every  officer 
looked  with  feelings  that  might  easily  be  worked 
up  to  a  violent  explosion.  "  I  observe  in  the  re- 
solves of  Congress  they  have  reserved  to  them- 
selves the  right  of  rewarding  by  jDromotion  accord- 
ing to  merit ;  the  reserve  may  be  right,  but  the 
exercise  will  be  dangerous.  (Of)  two  persons  of 
very  unequal  merit,  the  inferior  may  get  promoted 
over  the  superior,  if  a  single  instance  of  bravery 
is  a  sufficient  reason  for  such  promotion.  There 
is  no  doubt  but  it's  right  and  just  to  reward  sin- 
gular merit;  but  the  public  applause  accompanying 

every  brave   action   is  a   noble   reward 

When  one  officer  is   promoted  over  the  head  of 
another,  if  he  has  spirit  enough  to  be  fit  for  ser- 


1776.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  177 

vice,  it  lays  him  under  the  necessity  of  quitting  it ; 
it  is  a  pubhc  intimation  that  he  is  unfit  for  pro- 
motion, and  consequently  undeserving  his  present 
appointment.  For  my  own  part,  I  would  never 
give  any  legislative  body  an  opportunity  to  hu- 
miliate me  but  once.  I  should  think  the  Gen- 
eral's recommendation  is  necessary  to  warrant  a 
promotion  out  of  the  regular  channel." 

Nor  were  the  common  soldiers  without  just 
grounds  of  uneasiness,  as  they  looked  forward  to 
the  continuance  of  the  war.  "  The  emission  of  such 
large  sums  of  money  increases  the  price  of  things 
in  proportion  to  the  sums  emitted.  The  money 
has  but  a  nominal  value.  The  evil  does  not  rise 
from  a  depreciation  altogether,  but  from  there 
being  larger  sums  emitted  than  is  necessary  for  a 
circulating  medium.  If  the  evil  increases,  it  will 
starve  the  army ;  for  the  pay  of  the  troops,  at  the 
prices  things  are  sold  at,  will  scarcely  keep  the 
troops  decently  clothed." 

With  all  his  sympathy  with  Mr.  Adams's  zeal,  he 
was  not  without  some  doubts  of  the  soundness  of 
his  jugdment.  He  could  not  shut  his  eyes  to  the 
lessons  which  a  year  in  the  midst  of  the  army,  and 
a  year's  observation  of  Congress,  had  sternly  forced 
upon  him.  He  had  seen  the  enthusiasm  which,  in 
a  few  days,  brought  together  an  army  of  nearly 
twenty  thousand  men,  speedily  evaporate  in  the 
daily  routine  and  daily  hardships  of  camp.  He 
had  seen  a  second  army  slowly  and  painfully  col- 
lected ;  had  seen  how  difficult  it  w^as  to  arm  them, 

12 


178  LIFE    OF   NATII.iNAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

how  hard  it  was  to  supply  them  with  powder ;  how 
burdensome  their  food,  clothing,  and  pay  were  be- 
coming ;  he  knew  that  there  were  jealousies  and 
dissensions  in  Congress,  divisions  and  animosities 
among  the  people ;  he  knew  that  the  favorable 
moment  for  securing  men  for  the  war  had  been 
allowed  to  pass  by  unimproved,  and  that  it  would 
soon  become  necessary  to  begin  the  tantalizing 
labor  of  enlistment  over  again  ;  he  saw  a  paper 
money  unsupported  by  taxes  rapidly  spreading 
over  the  country,  and  obstructing  the  channels  of 
healthy  commerce.  And,  seeing;  these  thino-s,  he 
could  not  but  recognize  in  them  an  element  of 
failure,  which  it  behooved  thouirhtful  men  to  take 
calmly  into  consideration,  and,  instead  of  indulg- 
ing themselves  in  delusive  hopes,  to  meet  it  by  a 
prompt  and  judicious  application  of  all  their  re- 
sources. 

"  I  observe,"  he  continues,  in  the  same  letter, 
"that  3^0 u  don't  think  the  game  you  are  playing  as 
desperate  as  I  imagine.  You  doubtless  are  much 
better  acquainted  with  the  resources  that  are  to 
be  had  in  case  of  any  misfortune  than  I  am  ;  but  I 
flatter  myself  I  know  the  history,  state,  and  strength 
of  this  army  as  well  as  any  in  it,  both  with  respect 
to  the  goodness  of  the  troops  or  the  abilities  of  the 
officers.  Don't  be  too  confident ;  the  fate  of  war 
is  very  uncertain  ;  little  incidents  has  given  rise  to 
great  events.  Suppose  this  army  should  be  de- 
feated, two  or  three  of  the  leading  generals  killed, 
our  stores  and  magazines  all  lost ;  I  would  not  be 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  179 

answerable  for  the  consequences  that  such  a  stroke 
might  produce  in  American  pohtics." 

Exaggerated  ideas  of  the  strength  and  condition 
of  the  army  had  been  spread  through  the  coun- 
try, —  ideas  which  it  was  very  desirable  to  give  the 
enemy,  but  very  dangerous  for  our  own  people  to 
entertain  ;  for  it  not  only  led  them  to  relax  their 
exertions,  but  served  to  foster  expectations  which, 
as  they  could  not  be  fulfilled,  became  the  ground 
of  dangerous  suspicions  and  unjust  complaint. 
"  You  think,"  continues  Greene,  "  the  present  army, 
assisted  by  the  militia,  is  sufficient  to  oppose  the 
force  of  Great  Britain,  formidable  as  it  appears  on 
paper.  I  can  assure  you  it's  necessary  to  make 
great  allowances,  in  the  calculation  of  our  strength, 
from,  the  establishment,  or  else  you  '11  be  greatly 
deceived.  I  am  confident  the  force  of  America,  if 
properly  exerted,  will  prove  superior  to  all  her  en- 
emies, but  I  would  risk  nothing  to  chance ;  it  is 
easy    to  disband  when   it   is   impossible    to    raise 

troops If  the  force  of  Great  Britain  should 

prove  near  equal  to  what  it  has  been  represented, 
a  large  augmentation  will  be  necessary ;  if  the 
present  offers  should  not  be  sufficient  to  induce 
people  to  engage  in  the  army,  you  will  be  obliged 
to  augment  the  bounty,  and  perhaps  at  a  time 
when  that  order  of  people  will  have  it  in  their 
power  to  make  their  own  conditions,  or  distress  the 
state." 

In  what  light  Greene  viewed  his  correspondence 
with  Adams  appears  in  a  letter  of  July  14  :  —  • 


180  LIFE   OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

"  r  received  your  letter  of  the  22d  of  June  :  if  it  was 
necessary  for  you  to  apologize  for  not  writing  sooner,  it  is 
necessary  also  for  me.  But,  as  the  express  conditions  of 
my  corresponding  with  you  was  to  write  when  I  liad  time, 
and  leave  you  to  answer  at  your  leisure,  I  think  an  apol- 
ogy is  unnecessary  on  either  side.  But  I  can  assure  you, 
as  you  did  me,  that  it  is  not  for  want  of  respect  that  your 
letter  has  been  unanswered  so  long. 

"  I  am  glad  to  find  you  agree  witli  me  in  the  justice 
and  propriety  of  estal)lishing  some  provision  for  the  un- 
fortunate. I  have  not  had  time  to  fix  upon  any  plan  for 
that  purpose,  but  I  will  write  you  more  fully  in  my  next. 
I  have  never  mentioned  the  matter  to  but  one  or  two  par- 
ticular friends,  for  fear  the  establishment  should  not  take 
place.  The  troops'  expectations  being  once  raised,  a  dis- 
appointment must  necessarily  sour  them.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  the  Congress  established  a  support  for  the  unfor- 
tunate unsolicited,  it  must  inspire  the  army  with  love  and 
gratitude  towards  the  Congress  for  so  generous  an  act. 

"  You  query  whether  there  is  not  a  want  of  economy 
in  the  army  amongst  the  officers.  I  can  assure  you  there 
is  not  among  those  of  my  acquaintance.  The  expenses  of 
the  officers  runs  very  high,  unless  they  dress  and  live  be- 
low the  gentleman.  Few  that  have  ever  lived  in  charac- 
ter will  be  willing  to  descend  to  that.  As  long  as  they 
continue  in  service  they  will  support  their  rank  ;  if  their 
pay  is  not  sufficient,  they  will  draw  on  their  private  for- 
tunes at  home.  The  pay  of  the  soldiers  will  scarcely  keep 
them  decently  clothed.  The  troops  are  kept  so  much 
upon  fatigue  that  they  wear  out  their  clothing  as  fast  as 
the  officers  can  get  it.  Tlie  wages  given  to  common  sol- 
diers is  very  high,  but  everything  is  so  dear  that  the  pur- 
chase of  a  few  articles  takes  their  whole  pay.  This  is  a 
general  complaint  through  the  whole  army. 

'^  I  am  not  against  rewarding  merit,  or  encouraging 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  181 

activity;  neither  would  I  have  promotions  confined  to  a 
regular  line  of  succession.  But  every  man  that  has  spirit 
enough  to  be  fit  for  an  officer  will  have  too  mvich  to  con- 
tinue in  service  after  another  of  inferior  rank  is  put  over 
his  head.  The  power  of  rewarding  merit  should  be  lodged 
with  the  Congress,  but  I  should  think  the  GeneraFs  rec- 
ommendation is  the  best  testimonial  of  a  person's  deserv- 
ing a  reward  that  the  Congress  can  have. 

"  Many  of  the  New  England  colonels  have  let  in  a  jeal- 
ousy that  the  Southern  officers  of  that  rank  in  the  Conti- 
nental establishment  are  treated  with  more  respect  and  at- 
tention by  the  Congress  than  they  are.  They  say  several 
of  the  Southern  colonels  have  been  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  brigadier-general,  but  not  one  New  England  colonel. 
Some  of  them  appear  not  a  little  disgusted.  I  wish  the 
officers  in  general  were  as  studious  to  deserve  promotion 
as  they  are  anxious  to  obtain  it. 

"  You  cannot  more  sincerely  lament  the  want  of  knowl- 
edge to  execute  the  business  that  falls  in  your  department 
than  I  do  that  which  falls  in  mine;  and,  was  I  not  kept 
in  countenance  by  some  of  my  superior  officers,  I  should 
be  sincerely  disposed  to  quit  the  command  I  hold  in  the 
army.  But  I  will  endeavor  to  supply  the  want  of  knowl- 
edge as  much  as  possible  by  watchfulness  and  industry. 
In  these  respects  I  flatter  myself  I  have  never  been  faulty. 
I  have  never  been  one  moment  out  of  the  service  since  I 
engaged  in  it.  My  interest  has  and  will  suffer  greatly  by 
my  absence,  but  I  shall  think  that  a  small  sacrifice  if  I 
can  save  my  country  from  slavery. 

"  You  have  heard  long  before  this  reaches  you  of  the 
arrival  of  General  and  Admiral  Howe.  The  General's 
troops  are  encamped  on  Staten  Island.  The  Admiral 
arrived  on  Friday  last.  A  few  hours  before  his  arrival 
two  ships  went  up  the  North  River  amidst  a  most  terrible 
fire  from  the  different  batteries.     The  Admiral  sent  up  a 


182  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.\EL    GREENE.  [1776. 

flag  to-day,  but,  as  the  letter  was  not  properly  addressed, 
it  was  not  received.  The  Admiral  laments  his  not  arriv- 
ing a  few  days  sooner.  I  suppose  he  alludes  to  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence.  It  is  said  he  has  great  powers 
to  treat,  as  well  as  a  strong  army  to  execute. 

"  I  wrote  you  some  time  past  I  thought  you  was  play- 
ing a  desperate  game.  I  still  think  so.  Here  is  Howe's 
army  arrived,  and  the  reinforcements  hourly  expected. 

"  The  whole  force  we  have  to  oppose  them  don't 
amount  to  much  above  nine  thousand,  if  any.  I  could 
wish  the  troops  had  been  drawn  together  a  little  earlier, 
that  we  might  have  had  some  opportunity  of  disciplining 
them.  However,  what  falls  to  my  lot  I  shall  endeavor  to 
execute  to  the  best  of  my  ability." 

It  has  already  been  seen  that,  as  early  as  October 
of  the  preceding  year,  Greene  was  anxious  for  a 
declaration  of  independence.  Rhode  Island,  with- 
out waiting  for  the  action  of  Congress,  made  her 
declaration  in  May.^  Greene  welcomed  it  with  ex- 
ultation. "  By  a  letter  from  Governor  Cooke,"  he 
writes  to  a  friend  on  the  14th,  "  covering  a  late  act 
past  last  session  in  your  government,  you  have 
declared  yourselves  independent.  'T  is  nobly  done. 
God  prosper  you,  and  crown  your  endeavors  with 
success." 

While  the  army  lay  before  Boston,  his  daily 
communications  with  Washington  left  little  room 
for  correspondence.  But  now  his  letters  grow 
more  frequent,  showing  not  only  how  intimate  the 
relations  between  them  had  become,  Init  what  a 
wide  range  his  thoughts  had  taken,  and  how  ear- 

1  Arnold's  Rhode  Island,  Vol.  II.  p.  372. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAJSAEL    GREENE.  183 

nestly  he  labored  to  do  his  duty,  even  in  its  minute 
details. 

"I  beg;  leave  to  recommend  to  vour  considera- 
tion,"  he  writes  to  Washington  on  the  5th  of  July, 
"  the  establishing;  a  certain  g-uard  at  Red  Hook.  It 
is  undoubtedly  a  post  of  vast  importance.  De- 
tached guards  never  defend  a  place  equal  to  troops 
stationed  at  a  particular  post.  Both  officers  and 
men  contract  an  affection  for  a  post  after  being 
there  some  time  ;  they  will  be  more  industrious  to 
have  evervthing;  in  readiness,  and  more  obstinate 
in  defence.  The  little  baggage  that  each  private 
has  is  of  consequence  to  him,  and  will  influence  his 
conduct  in  time  of  action  if  it  is  at  stake.  The 
officers  also  will  have  new  motives  ;  they,  knowing 
a  post  to  be  committed  to  their  trust,  and  that  the 
whole  disgrace  will  fall  upon  them  if  any  miscon- 
duct happens,  will  be  much  more  likely  to  take 
every  necessary  precaution  to  avoid  so  great  an 
evil.  But  an  officer  that  commands  a  detachment 
thinks  little  more  than  how  to  pass  away  his  time 
during  his  tour  of  duty,  it  being  uncertain  whether 
he  shall  ever  command  there  again." 

Is  there  not  something  in  this  of  the  man  who 
had  studied  Locke  carefully,  and  trained  himself 
betimes  to  trace  human  actions  to  their  spring  ? 
On  the  11th,  he  calls  AYa.shington's  attention  to 
another  subject,  and  in  this  letter,  too,  displays  the 
same  instinctive  tendency  to  combine  close  obser- 
vation with  broad  generalization. 

"I  was   mentioning,  some   few  days  past,   that 


184  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

a  putrid  fever  prevailed  in  my  brigade,  and  that  I 
thought  it  partly  owing  to  their  feeding  too  freely 
on  animal  food.  Vegetables  would  be  much  more 
wholesome  ;  and,  by  your  Excellency's  permission, 
they  may  be  provided  for  the  troops,  without  any 
additional  expense  to  the  Continent,  if  the  colonels 
of  the  regiments  were  allowed  to  retrench  in  the 
article  of  meat,  and  that  they  should  draw  its  value 
in  money,  to  be  applied  by  the  quartermaster  of 
the  regiment  to  the  procuring  necessary  sauce,  the 
quartermaster  to  draw  the  money  weekly,  and  to 
account  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  regiment 
how  it  is  expended,  and  for  what.  This  method 
may  be  a  little  more  troublesome  to  the  commis- 
sary-general and  the  quartermaster  of  the  regi- 
ment ;  but  if  it  will  remedy  so  great  an  evil  as  now 
prevails,  I  think  it  worthy  3^our  Excellency's  atten- 
tion. The  troops  cannot  complain  that  they  are 
scanted  in  their  allowance  ;  leaving  them  at  liberty 
to  draw  either  meat  or  monev,  as  the  inclination  of 
the  troops  or  commanding  ofhcer  may  lead  them, 
puts  it  out  of  their  power  to  complain.  People 
often  would  adopt  measures,  when  left  to  their 
choice,  that  they  would  think  a  hardship  to  have 
imposed  upon  them. 

"  Cleanliness  contributes  much  to  the  health  of 
the  troops.  They  now  do  and  have  done  so  much 
fatigue,  that  the  allowance  of  soap  will  not  keep 
them  clean.  Their  clothing  gets  exceedingly  dirty, 
and  they  wear  out  twice  as  many  clothes  on  fatigue 
as  doing  other  duty.     I  should  think  it  a  piece  of 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  185 

justice  due  to  the  troops,  for  the  extraordinary  fa- 
tigue, to  be  allowed  a  double  quantity  of  soap  when 
they  are  employed  so  much  on  fatigue.  This  is  a 
grievance  I  have  often  heard  the  officers  complain 
of,  that  the  fatigue  wore  out  the  troops'  clothing 
faster  than  they  could  get  them,  and  that  they 
made  themselves  so  dirty  at  work  that  the  allow- 
ance of  soap  would  not  clean  them. 

"I  have  never  mentioned  anything  of  a  further 
allowance  of  soap  to  any  person,  except  the  other 
evening  at  head-quarters.  I  only  beg  leave  to 
propose  it  to  your  Excellency's  consideration,  and 
leave  it  for  your  better  judgment  to  determine  the 
propriety  and  utility  of  such  an  establishment." 

"I  wrote  to  your  Excellency  yesterday  morn- 
ing," he  writes  on  the  18th,  "that  I  thought  it 
would  be  an  advisable  measure  to  have  Cobble 
Hill  fixed  upon  to  give  notice,  by  the  fire  of  two  or 
three  guns,  that  the  enemy  had  landed  on  this 
island.  Colonel  Cary  wrote  me  an  answer  to  that 
proposition  that  your  Excellency  had  no  objection. 
If  it  is  to  alarm  the  camp  on  your  side,  it  should 
be  mentioned  in  general  orders,  that  the  guards 
may  govern  themselves  accordingly.  I  don't  want 
it  to  alarm  this  camp ;  what  I  proposed  it  for  was, 
to  give  3^our  Excellency  earlier  intelligence  than 
could  be  done  by  express,  and  the  express  to  fol- 
low with  the  particulars.  I  submit  it  to  your 
Excellency's  further  consideration." 

A  letter  of  the  25th  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  him 
at  his  desk :    a  little,  mahogany  desk  it  was,  —  it 


186  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  11776. 

is  before  me  now,  —  a  foot  and  a  half  wide  by  a  foot 
deep,  with  a  sloping  lid  scarce  large  enough  to 
hold  the  foolscap  sheet  on  which  he  usually  wrote, 
and  which,  lifting  like  the  lid  of  a  school-desk, 
shows  within  a  small  oblong  space  in  front,  and, 
in  the  back  part,  four  neat  little  drawers,  and  a 
space  between  them  divided  by  a  shelf.  The  table 
it  stood  on  then  was  covered  with  passes,  which 
he  was  signing, —  dull,  tedious,  unprofitable  work 
for  a  general  officer,  but  which  must  nevertheless 
be  done. 

"  I  am  so  confined  writing  passes,  &c.,  that  it  is 
impossible  for  me  to  attend  to  the  duties  of  the 
day,  which  in  many  instances  prejudices  the  ser- 
vice. Such  a  confined  situation  leaves  one  no  op- 
portunity of  viewing  things  for  themselves.  It  is 
recommended  bv  one  of  the  greatest  s-enerals  of 
the  age,  not  only  to  issue  orders,  but  to  see  to  the 
execution ;  for,  the  army  being  composed  of  men 
of  indolence,  if  the  commander  is  not  attentive  to 
every  individual  in  the  different  departments,  the 
machine  becomes  dislocated,  and  the  progress  of 
business  retarded. 

"  The  science  or  art  of  war  requires  a  freedom 
of  thought  and  leisure  to  reflect  upon  the  various 
incidents  that  dailj^  occur,  which  cannot  be  had 
where  the  whole  of  one's  time  is  enojrossed  in 
clerical  emplo3'ments.  The  time  devoted  to  this 
employment  is  not  the  only  injury  I  feel,  but  it 
confines  my  thoughts  as  well  as  engrosses  my  time. 
It  is  like  a  merchandise  of  small  wares. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  187 

"  I  must  beg  leave  to  recommend  to  your  Excel- 
lency's consideration  the  appointing  an  officer  to 
write  and  sign  the  necessary  passes.  The  person 
I  should  wish  to  appoint  is  Lieutenant  Blodget.  If 
it  was  put  in  general  orders  that  passes  signed  by 
him  should  be  deemed  authentic  as  if  signed  by 
me,  it  would  leave  me  at  liberty  to  pursue  the 
more  important  employments  of  my  station. 

"  I  hope  your  Excellency  will  not  think  this 
application  results  from  a  lazy  habit,  or  a  desire  to 
free  mvself  from  business,  —  far  from  it :  I  am 
never  more  happy  than  when  I  am  honorably  or 
usefully  employed.  If  your  Excellency  thinks  I 
can  promote  the  service  as  much  in  this  emplo}^- 
ment  as  in  any  other,  I  shall  cheerfully  execute 
the  business  without  the  least  murmur." 

On  the  28th,  he  closes  a  report  with  another 
suo;o;estion  for  the  comfort  of  his  men.  "  The  new 
levies  that  come  in  hanker  after  milk  and  vege- 
tables. I  should  think  that  it  would  benefit  the 
service  to  allow  all  the  regiments  to  draw  one 
third  the  value  of  the  animal  food  in  money,  to 
purchase  milk,  &c.,  and  direct  in  the  most  positive 
terms  the  quartermasters  to  provide  it  for  the 
men." 

A  letter  of  the  3d  of  August  gives  us  another 
kind  of  glimpse  of  him,  and  not  so  pleasant  a  one ; 
for  it  reveals,  at  the  same  time,  one  of  the  abuses 
of  our  imperfectly  organized  army,  and  he  is 
somewhat  angry.  "  General  Heard  gives  furloughs 
to  the  troops  of  Colonel  Foreman's  regiment.      I 


188  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

conceive  it  to  be  capitally  wrong,  and  very  injurious 
to  nie  and  Colonel  Foreman  both,  as  neither  can 
know  what  to  depend  upon  if  the  troops  are  fur- 
loughed  without  our  knowledge  or  consent.  This 
is  not  the  only  evil ;  for  if  the  troops  are  refused 
the  indulgence  here  they  request,  and  get  it  else- 
where, it  will  naturally  lead  them  to  form  an 
opinion  that  we  are  tyrannical.  I  must  beg  your 
Excellency  to  put  a  stop  to  it  immediately." 

Two  days  later  he  takes  up  the  subject  of  regi- 
mental hospitals.  "  There  is  no  proper  establish- 
ment for  the  supplying  the  regimental  hospital 
with  proper  utensils  for  the  sick.  They  suffer, 
therefore,  for  want  of  proper  accommodation. 
There  is  repeated  complaint  upon  this  head.  The 
regimental  hospitals  are  and  ever  will  be  rendered 
useless,  na}',  grievous,  unless  there  is  some  proper 
fund  to  provide  the  necessary  conveniences.  The 
general  hospital  cannot  receive  all  the  sick,  and 
those  that  are  in  the  regimental  hospitals  are  in  a 
suffering  condition.  If  this  evil  continues,  it  must 
greatly  injure  the  service,  as  it  will  greatly  dispirit 
the  well  to  see  the  sick  suffer,  and  prevent  their 
engaging  again  upon  any  conditions  whatever. 
Great  humanity  should  be  exercised  towards  those 
indisposed.  Kindness,  on  one  hand,  leaves  a  favor- 
able and  lasting  impression  ;  neglect  and  suffering, 
on  the  other,  is  never  forgotten. 

"  I  am  sensible  there  has  formerly  been  great 
abuses  in  the  regimental  hospitals ;  but  I  am  in 
hopes  in   general   men    of   better   principles   are 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  189 

elected  to  those  places,  and  that  the  same  evils  will 
not  happen  again.  But  the  continent  had  better 
suffer  a  little  extraordinary  expense  than  the  sick 
should  be  left  to  suffer  for  want  of  those  con- 
veniences that  may  easily  be  provided. 

"  I  would  beg  leave  to  propose  that  the  colonels 
of  regiments  be  allowed  to  draw  moneys  to  provide 
the  regimental  hospitals  with  proper  utensils ;  an 
account  of  the  disbursements  weekly  or  monthly 
to  be  rendered.  This  will  prevent  abuse  and 
remedy  the  evil.  Something  is  necessary  to  be 
done  speedily,  as  many  sick  are  in  a  suffering 
condition." 

It  is  evident  from  these  letters  that  Greene  had 
studied  his  situation  carefully,  and  that  his  reflec- 
tions upon  the  events  that  were  passing  around 
him  were  fast  taking  the  shape  of  principles.  His 
knowledge  had  been  enlarged  by  observation  upon 
a  wider  field,  but  the  habit  of  mind  was  still  that 
habit  of  firm,  bold,  but  careful  withal  and  patient, 
thought  which  he  had  formed  for  his  own  guidance 
long  before  he  dreamed  of  the  use  it  would  one 
day  be  put  to.  And  it  is  in  this  light  that  the 
study  of  his  letters  becomes  so  important;  ever 
bearing  in  mind  that  what  may  now  be  gathered 
from  text-books  in  a  few  hours,  required  then  the 
observations  of  more  than  one  campaign,  and  a 
vigorous  mind  to  reason  upon  them.  There  are 
few  of  his  letters  which,  however  triflintr  the  im- 
mediate  occasion,  do  not  reveal  the  workings  of 
an  active  and  powerful  mind. 


190  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

With  such  qualities,  he  could  not  but  take  a  deep 
interest  in  the  profession  that  brought  them  into 
play.  Without  loving  war,  without  ever  closing 
his  eyes  to  its  horrors,  he  found  in  its  intense  ex- 
citement a  kind  of  stern  delight,  —  the  delight  of 
the  strong  man  in  putting  forth  his  strength.  It 
called  out  all  his  faculties,  and  put  all  his  energies 
to  task;  revealing  to  himself,  as  well  as  to  others, 
capacities  of  which  he  had  been  altogether  uncon- 
scious. And  with  the  growth  of  this  feeling  grew 
another  feeling,  its  natural  attendant.  Military 
fame  was  within  his  reach.  The  work  that  he  was 
helping  to  do  would  some  day  furnish  material  for 
history,  and,  as  he  asked  himself  what  place  his 
name  was  to  hold  in  that  history,  he  felt  unwonted 
longings  ri.se  within  him.  "  Let  my  name  stand 
fair  for  the  inspection  of  inquiring  friends,"  he  had 
written  in  the  first  weeks  of  the  war.  But  now 
those  friends  were  no  lono'cr  the  little  villao-e  circle, 
but  the  leaders  of  the  nation ;  and  to  stand  fair  with 
them  was  fame.  Thus,  too,  he  naturally  became 
sensitive  about  promotion  and  rank,  as  the  expres- 
sion of  public  approbation.  The  light  in  which  he 
viewed  promotion  has  already  been  seen  from  his 
letter  of  the  2d  of  June  to  John  Adams.  It  is  ex- 
pressed still  more  fully  in  a  letter  of  May  21st  to 
Washing-ton,  and  is  the  more  deservino;  of  attention 
inasmuch  as  he  found  himself,  in  the  course  of  the 
next  year,  compelled  to  act  upon  it  in  a  manner 
which  has  been  greatly  misinterpreted. 

"  From  the  last  accounts  from  Great  Britain,  it 


1776.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  191 

appears  absolutely  necessary  that  there  should  be 
an  augmentation  of  the  American  forces ;  in  conse- 
quence of  which,  I  suppose,  there  will  be  several 
promotions.     As  I  have  no  desire  of  quitting  the 
service,  I  hope  the  Congress  will  take  no  measure 
that  will  lay  me  under  the  disagreeable  necessity 
of  doing  it.     I  have  ever  found  myself  exceeding 
happy  under  your  Excellency's  command.     I  wish 
my  ability  to  deserve  was  equal  to  my  inclination 
to  merit.     How  far  I  have  succeeded  in  my  en- 
deavors,   I    submit    to    your   Excellency's   better 
judgment.     I  hope  I  shall  never  be  more  fond  of 
jDromotion  than  studious  to  merit  it.     Modesty  will 
forever  forbid  me  to  apply  to  that  house  for  any 
favors.     I  consider  myself  immediately  under  your 
Excellency's  protection,  and  look  up   to  you  for 
justice.     Every  man  feels  himself  wounded  when 
he  finds  himself  neglected,  and  that  in  proportion 
as  he  is  conscious  of  endeavoring  to  merit  atten- 
tion.    I  shall  be  satisfied  with  any  measures  that 
the  Congress  shall  take  that  have  not  a  direct  ten- 
dency to  degrade  me  in  the  public  estimation.     A 
measure  of  that  sort  would  sink  me  in  my  own  es- 
teem, and  render  me  spiritless  and  uneasy  in  my 
situation,  and  consequently  unfit  for  the  service. 
I  wish  for  nothing  more  than  justice,  either  upon  a 
principle  of  merit  or  rank,  and  will  at  all  times  rest 
satisfied  when  your  Excellency  tells  me  I  ought  to 
be.     I  feel  myself  strongly  attached   to  the  cause, 
to  the   Continental  Congress,  and  to  your  Excel- 
lency's person;  and  I  should  consider  it  a  great 


192  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

misfortune  to  be  deprived  of  an  opportunity  of  tak- 
ing an  active  part  in  the  support  of  the  one,  and  in 
the  promotion  of  the  other.  But,  should  anything 
take  place,  contrary  to  my  wishes,  which  might  fur- 
nish me  with  a  sufficient  reason  for  quitting  the 
service,  yet  I  will  not  do  it  until  the  dangers  and 
difficulties  appear  less  than  at  present." 

It  was  not,  however,  until  August  that  the  new 
appointments  were  made,  when  four  new  major- 
generals  were  chosen,  his  name  still  coming  last  on 
the  list.  Although  independence  had  already  been 
declared  more  than  a  month,  and  but  seven  days 
before,  all  the  members  had  set  their  names  to  the 
Declaration  in  solemn  session,  his  new  commission, 
like  his  brigadier's  commission  of  the  preceding 
year,  still  ran  in  the  name  of  the  United  Colonies. 
Unlike  that,  however,  it  bears  the  date  both  of  the 
month  and  the  year.  On  the  12th,  his  promotion 
was  announced  in  general  orders,  and  Nixon's  and 
Heard's  brigades  were  put  under  his  command. 
One  of  the  first  benefits  that  he  experienced  in  the 
possession  of  a  higher  grade  was  the  lightening  of 
that  clerical  burden  which  had  pressed  on  him  so 
heavily,  for  he  was  now  entitled  to  two  aids.  "  I 
have  made  choice,"  he  writes  on  the  15th,  "of  Mr. 
William  Blodget  and  Major  William  Livingston  for 
my  aides-de-camp.  Should  it  meet  with  your  ap- 
probation, you  will  please  to  signify  it  in  orders." 

I  have  already  spoken  of  his  growing  intimacy 
with  Knox.  About  this  time  he  laid  the  founda- 
tion  of  another  friendship,  which,  like   that  with 


1776.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  193 

Knox,  was  to  grow  stronger  year  by  year,  and  end 
only  with  life.  Duty  as  well  as  inclination  often 
called  him  to  head-quarters ;  and  his  way  from  the 
ferry  led  him  through  the  Park,  then  open  ground, 
and  frequently  used  for  drills  and  parades.  One 
day,  on  passing  through  it,  whether  in  coming  or 
in  going  the  tradition  does  not  tell,  his  attention 
was  attracted  by  the  soldierly  appearance  of  a  com- 
pany of  young  artillerists,  and  particularly  by  the 
air  and  bearing  of  their  commander,  who,  though 
but  a  boy  in  size,  went  through  his  duty  with  the 
precision  of  a  veteran.  When  the  parade  was  over, 
Greene  sent  to  compliment  the  young  officer  on 
his  proficiency,  and  invite  him  to  dinner.  The  in- 
vitation was  accepted ;  and  thus  began  that  inter- 
course with  Alexander  Hamilton  which,  founded 
on  a  just  appreciation  of  each  other's  talents,  per- 
fect confidence  in  each  other's  motives,  equal  devo- 
tion to  the  cause  in  which  they  were  engaged,  and 
a  singular  harmony  of  opinions  upon  all  the  great 
questions  involved  in  it,  was  a  source  of  strength 
and  happiness  to  both. 

During  part  of  the  sjoring  and  summer  his  wife 
was  with  him  in  camp.  Mrs.  Washington  and  Mrs. 
Knox  were  with  their  husbands  at  the  same  time, 
and  the  pleasant  intercourse  of  Cambridge  appears 
to  have  been  kept  up  between  them  all,  —  dinner 
being  still  a  favorite  mode  of  bringing  them  to- 
gether. "  GeneraJ  Greene  and  lady  present  their 
compliments   to  Colonel  Knox  and   his  lady,  and 

should  be  glad  of  their  company  to-morrow  at  din- 
is 


194  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

ner,  at  two  o'clock,"  says  a  note  dated  Thursday 
evening,  eight  o'clock,  and  still  preserved  among 
the  Knox  papers.  But  as  the  active  business  of 
the  campaign  began,  the  ladies  turned  their  faces 
homeward,  and  little  time  or  inclination  was  left  for 
even  these  brief  hours  of  social  enjoyment.  "  Mrs. 
Washington  left  the  city,"  is  the  entry  for  the  30th 
of  June  in  Heath's  Diary. 


CHAPTER   YII. 

Enemy's  Ships  besin  to  arrive  at  the  Hook.  —  Constant  "Watching. — 
Alarms  in  the  Country.  —  Tories.  —  Threatened  Duel  in  Greene's 
Division.  —  English  Fleet  at  the  Narrows.  —  Arrival  of  the  Hessians. 
—  Hitchcock's  Regiment. —  Militia. —  First  Marching  Orders. — 
Removal  of  Cattle  and  Grain.  —  Dangerous  Illness.  —  Carried 
to  New  York.  —  Battle  of  Long  Island. 

A  BOUT  this  time  ships  began  to  drop  into  the 
•^-^  Hook,  "  three  or  four  "  a  day}  and  on  the  29th 
of  June  a  hundred  and  twenty  sail  of  topsail  vessels 
cast  anchor  there.  Henceforth  Greene's  eye  will  be 
ever  on  them,  watching  their  slightest  movements. 
"  The  general  officers  were  in  council,"  writes  Heath 
on  the  same  day.  The  Americans  lie  on  their 
arms  all  the  night  of  the  2d  of  July.^  On  the  5th 
four  prisoners  are  brought  in ;  and  from  them 
Greene  grains  the  first  accurate  estimate  of  the 
enemy's  force,  which  he  immediately  transmits  to 
Washington.  "  The  people  of  Staten  Island,"  he 
writes,  "  went  on  board  the  fleet  as  they  lay  at  the 
Hook,  several  boat-loads  of  them."  A  warning 
this,  that,  unless  he  kept  sharp  watch,  the  people  of 
Lono;  Island  w^ould    do    the  same  at  the    earliest 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  III.  here." — Reed  to  Mrs.  Reed,  1st  Ju- 
p.  443.  ly,    Life,    &c.    of    President    Reed, 

2  Heath,  p.  48,  "  Mrs.  Washinrrton  Vol.  I.  p.  194. 
and  die  other  ladies  are  gone  from 


196  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

opportunity.  "  Our  people  are  firing  with  nine- 
pounders  at  the  Narrows,  but  have  not  heard 
whether  they  have  done  any  execution.  There 
was  a  smart  fire  heard  at  the  west  end  of  Staten 
Island  about  four  this  morning.  It  is  supposed  to 
be  an  attack  upon  Fort  Smith,  in  the  south  part  of 
Staten  Island." 

On  the  11th  four  more  sail  are  seen  standing  in 
for  the  Hook,  two  ships,  a  brigantine,  and  a  schooner. 
The  fleet  lies  idly  at  anchor ;  but  from  time  to  time 
a  few  vessels  detach  themselves  from  the  main 
body,  as  if  to  perplex  the  Americans,  either  drop- 
ping down  seaward,  or  "  cruising  about  the  bay." 
On  the  17th  the  enemy  are  seen  to  be  intrenching 
on  the  heights  of  Staten  Island.  "  I  was  down  at 
the  Hook  about  sunrise,"  he  writes  on  the  18th, 
"  and   saw  a  sloop   stretching  down    towards   the 

Narrows Our  out-guards  suspect  there  are 

spies  about  the  camp.  The  sentries  have  fired  half 
a  dozen  times  a  night  the  three  preceding  nights." 
AVith  Tories  all  round  and  an  open  enemy,  whose 
ships  can  bring  him,  in  a  couple  of  hours,  close  up 
to  yowY  works,  this  watching  and  counting  new 
enemies  as  they  come  in  is  nervous  business.  And 
nervous,  too,  it  is  for  the  poor  wives  and  daughters, 
and  on  the  main-land  as  well  as  on  the  island.  "  We 
have  our  coach  standing  before  our  door  every 
night,  and  the  liorses  harnessed,  ready  to  make  our 
escape  if  we  have  time,"  writes  one  of  them,  a 
daughter  of  John  Morin  Scott.  "We  have  liardlj^ 
any  clothes  to  wear  ;  only  a  second  change."    Then 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  197 

an  alarm  comes  in  the  night,  in  the  midst  of  a 
thunder-storm,  and  they  hurry  off,  making  their 
way  towards  the  interior  as  best  they  may.  But 
at  last  they  are  "  obliged  to  stop  on  the  road  and 
stay  all  night,  and  all  the  lodging  (they  can)  get 
(is)  a  dirty  bed  on  the  floor.  How  hard  it  seems 
for  us,  who  have  always  been  used  to  living  com- 
fortably ! "  ^ 

The  enemy  increases.  At  two  o'clock  on  the  21st 
seven  more  large  ships  are  seen  coming  up  from 
the  Hook  toward  the  Narrow^s ;  and  a  negro  brought 
in  by  the  rifle-guard  reports  that  on  Staten  Island 
eiffht  hundred  neg;roes  are  to  be  formed  into  a 
regiment  that  very  day.  And  the  next  day,  when 
those  ships  of  yesterday  have  come  to  anchor, 
soldiers  are  seen  on  board  of  them, —  men  "in  the 
Highland  habit,"  the  comrades,  perhaps,  of  those 
Highlanders  who,  to  His  Majesty's  great  "hurt  and 
surprise,  had  had  the  misfortune  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,"  giving  Greene  a  closer  view 
of  the  Highland  habit  than  he  could  get  now.^ 

But  now  the  wheat  is.  a-ripening  in  the  fields 
along  the  Utrecht  and  Gravesend  shores,  and  he 
would  not  have  it  fiill  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
"  for  everything  they  destroy  or  carry  off  will  be  a 
matter  of  triumph."  "I  apprehend,"  he  writes, 
"  that  an  order  of  Congress  will  be  necessary  for 
its  removal."     He  wants,  also,  Washington's  opinion 

1  Extracts   from   a   letter  fiom   a  '^  Force,    Archives,    Vol.    VI.  p. 

daughter  of  General  J.  M.  Scott,  in  1053  ;    and   5th    Series,   Vol.   I.   p. 

Lossing's  Field-Book  of  the  Revolu-  1102. 
tion.  Vol.  II.  p.  599. 


108  LIFE    OF   NATIIAXAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

upon  his  preparations  of  defence.  "I  should  be 
exceeding  glad."  he  Avrites  on  the  25th,  '-'if  your 
Excellency  would  visit  this  post,  when  at  liberty,  to 
see  if  there  are  any  alterations  or  further  regula- 
tions necessary." 

But  all  the  trouble  does  not  come  from  the 
enemy  and  the  Tories.  His  own  officers  make  him 
some,  and  very  foolishly.  Lieutenant  Dun  worth, 
discharged  a  few  days  before  from  Little's  regi- 
ment, had  challenged  Captain  Talbot,  of  Varnum's. 
A  hint  of  the  quarrel  had  reached  Greene  before- 
hand, and  he  had  already  spoken  to  Washington  of 
the  possibility  of  its  coming  to  a  challenge ;  wish- 
ing, however,  '•'  to  know  nothing  about  it,"  But 
when  the  challeno-e  had  actuallv  been  sent  and  ac- 
cepted,  and  he  was  known  to  have  been  informed 
of  it,  he  was  "  not  a  little  perplexed,  knowing 
duelling  to  be  against  all  laws,  both  civil  and  mili- 
tary," and  yet  feeling,  apparently,  that  the  C|ues- 
tion  of  personal  courage  was  so  involved  in  it  that 
it  would  be  difficult  to  prevent  it.  He  did  prevent 
it,  however,  though  by  what  means  I  do  not  know, 
and  Talbot's  life  was  preserved  for  better  things. 

Meanwhile  his  eyes  still  turn  anxiously  seaward. 
At  five  in  the  afternoon  of  the  27th  eight  sail  are 
seen  standing  in  for  the  Hook,  too  far  off  as  yet  to 
discern  what  they  are,  but  they  have  the  look  of 
transports.  This  was  Friday.  Sunday,  at  noon,  ten 
more  sail  are  descried  in  the  offing,  and  next  morn- 
ing it  is  discovered  that  the  enemy  are  stronger  by 
thirteen  ships  than  they  were  at  sunset.     In  the 


1776.]  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  199 

night  signal-guns  were  fired,  —  a  thing  which  had 
never  been  done  before ;  and,  after  the  guns,  "  a 
considerable  noise  and  movement  of  the  boats  was 
heard."  Listening,  still  other  sounds  come  floating 
on  the  damp  night-air,  —  sounds  of  "  confusion  and 
hurry."  Perhaps  the  enemy  have  heard  of  the 
fire-ships,  and  are  peering  into  the  darkness  up  the 
bay,  as  we  are  down  it. 

Two  days  pass  without  further  change.  On  the 
evening  of  the  30th  two  ships  come  in  late ;  and 
then,  on  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  August,  thirty 
sail  are  discovered  standing  in  for  the  Hook.  All 
through  the  long  forenoon  you  might  have  seen 
them  coming  grandly  on,  with  their  white  sails 
trimmed  as  none  but  men-of-wars-men  know  how  to 
trim  them,  and  the  black  muzzles  of  a  thousand 
guns  frowning  sternly  from  their  sides.  At  four 
they  are  off  the  New  Utrecht  shore,  and  pilots 
hurry  down  to  meet  them. 

AVho  are  they?  The  Hessians,  doubtless,  and 
every  American  feels  his  blood  boil,  and  grasps  his 
firelock  firmly,  as  he  repeats  the  name.  But  no ! 
not  quite  yet.  It  is  only  Clinton  returning  from 
Carolina,  with  Greene's  future  antagonist,  Cornwal- 
lis;  returning,  too,  not  in  triumph,  though  still 
haughty  and  confident. 

But  there  is  other  cause  for  alarm.  "  The  troops 
are  in  general  exceeding  sickly,  great  numbers 
taken  down  every  day.  If  the  state  of  the  army 
will  admit  of  a  reinforcement  at  this  post,  perhaps 
it  may  be  prudent.     If  it  does  not,  I  will  do  the 


200  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

best  I  can  with  what  I  have."  ^  In  the  evening  he 
goes  down  to  the  Narrows,  and  counts  the  ships  for 
himself.  From  the  uniforms,  the  troops  seem  to 
be  the  guards  and  artillery.  "  If  your  Excellency 
has  leisure,  perhaps  it  may  be  worth  while  to  pay 
a  visit  to  the  Narrows,  and  to  reconnoitre  and  view 
the  fleet." 

And  still  the  eye  turns  towards  the  eastern 
horizon.  Twent^^-one  more  sail  heave  in  sight  on 
the  evening  of  the  3d.  By  morning  eight  were 
in,  the  rest  coming  in.  In  the  night  ''  the  ene- 
my's guard-boats  patrolled  much  higher  up  the 
bay  than  usual."  We  want  "a  couple  of  guard- 
boats  to  patrol  from  Eed  to  Yellow  Hook,  across 
the  bay  leading  to  Rapelj'e's,"  if  they  can  be 
spared  from  other  patrolling  and  guarding.  If 
not,  he  will  do  as  he  will  do  about  the  reinforce- 
ments, —  make  the  best  use  of  the  means  he  has ; 
vigilant,  not  rashly  confiding,  but  with  no  ques- 
tionings about  the  path  of  duty. 

Wednesda}'',  the  7th,  comes.  The  day  passes  off 
without  chanf2:e  ;  but  at  nine  in  the  evenino;  "  Col- 

O       ^  CD 

onel  Varnum  reports,  from  Eed  Hook,  ....  as 
many  as  a  hundred  boats  coming  from  Staten 
Island  to  the  ships,  full  of  men."  Three  ships,  too, 
were  observed  going  towards  the  Narrows,  having 
first  taken  in  thirty  boat-loads  of  soldiers.  Every- 
thing seems  to  indicate  a  general  embarkation. 
The  cloud  is  about  to  burst. 

Not  quite  yet ;  but,  gathering  other  clouds  to 

1  Letter  of  August  1. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  201 

itself,  and  growing  darker  CA^ery  hour,  it  yet  hangs 
with  a  deepening  menace  on  the  liorizon.  The 
three  ships,  with  their  thii'ty  boat-loads  of  soldiers, 
are  still  at  the  Narrows  on  the  10th.  "  I  was  at 
Eed  Hook  this  morning  about  three  o'clock,"  he 
writes.  It  is  a  dangerous  place,  with  its  dank, 
miasma-laden  air,  for  a  man  born  and  bred  in  the 
pure  air  of  Rhode  Island,  but  it  affords  a  sight  that 
almost  repays  the  risk ;  for  there,  in  the  gray 
morning  twilight,  lies  the  English  fleet,  just  within 
the  Narrows, —  two  hundred  vessels  in  all,  "seven 
of  the  largest  drawn  up  in  a  line  nearly  two  miles 
advanced  of  the  rest," '  presenting  a  dim  confusion 
of  spars  and  hulls  at  first,  but  which,  as  day  ad- 
vances and  the  mists  roll  away  to  seaward,  grows 
everv  moment  more  distinct,  till  the  masts  and  ris;- 
ging  of  the  nearer  ships  come  out  in  mazy  lines 
upon  the  kindling  sky,  w^hile  the  great  mass  far- 
ther down  paint  their  dark  outlines  upon  it  like  a 
forest  in  winter,  stern  and  bare. 

Another  night  passes,  but  not  silently,  for  the 
booming  of  guns  is  heard.  The  Hessian  fleet, 
surely!  Morning  brings  no  answer;  but  three 
ships  lie  at  the  Hook,  and  a  large  schooner,  hoisting 
her  sails,  stretches  up  from  the  watering-place  to- 
•wards  Amboy.  Last  evening,  too,  —  the  evening 
of  the  11th,  —  a  twenty-gun  ship  came  up,  and, 
firing  as  she  passed  the  Narrows,  the  "Admiral" 
fired  in  return.  And  now  four  ships  run  down, 
and  cast  anchor  off  the  New  Utrecht  shore ;  and, 

1  Letter  of  Aaron  Burr,  Force,  Archives,  5th  Series,  Vol.  I.  p.  887. 


202  LIFE    OF   NATIIAN.iEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

far  off  at  sea,  we  cancount  twenty-five  sail  more 
—  ships  all  of  them,  apparently,  coming  in  as  fast 
as  the  wind  can  drive  them  through  the  water. 

Here,  then,  they  are,  at  last,  these  dreaded  Hes- 
sians, hirelings  of  blood  and  pillage ;  here  they 
are,  looking  out,  from  those  thronged  decks,  on  our 
lovely  fields,  and  revelling  already  in  fancy  in  their 
work  of  desolation.  Ah  !  call  them  victims,  rather, 
poor,  deluded  victims,  of  greedy  masters,  —  driven, 
many  of  them,  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet ;  lured, 
some  of  them,  by  lies  and  misrepresentations ;  and 
some  drawn  away  by  the  errors  of  an  age  when  it 
was  still  held  honorable  to  sell  your  sword  and 
blood,  without  pausing  to  consider  whom  or  what 
you  were  to  trample  down.  There  is  old  De  Ileis- 
ter,  grown  gray  in  his  bloody  trade.  He  had 
drooped  during  the  long  fourteen  weeks  of  sea- 
life,  but  now,  as  he  snuffs  the  land  breeze,  his  spir- 
its revive,  and  he  quaffs  full  glasses  of  his  native 
Ehennish  to  the  health  of  his  friends.  Rahl  is 
there,  with  the  warm  blood  flowing  freely  through 
his  veins  at  the  sight  of  firm  land  and  green 
trees.  It  will  flow  faster  still  next  Christmas 
night,  on  the  snows  of  Trenton.  And  Donop  is 
there,  too ;  one  more  year  and  less  than  three 
short  months,  and  he  will  faintly  murmur,  as  the 
death-film  gathers  in  his  eyes,  "  I  die  the  victim  of 
my  ambition,  and  of  the  avarice  of  my  sovereign." 
Yes,  count  your  gold,  landgraves  and  dukes, —  thou 
of  Hesse-Cassel,  and  thou,  too,  of  Brunswick, — 
good  English  guineas,  undipped  and  sound  within 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  20 


o 


the  ring ;  send  out  into  your  streets  and  lanes,  into 
the  roads  and  highways,  and  gather  in  your  human 
cattle  for  the  shambles.  History  has  taken  note  of 
3^ou  all ;  and  perhaps,  even  before  your  account 
is  given  in,  you  will  find  that  it  is  God's  work 
that  is  doing  here,  and  you  are  not  on  his  side.^ 

On  the  14th  the  Hessians  are  seen  landing  on 
Staten  Island  in  great  numbers  ;  they  parade  on 
the  beach,  happy  to  feel  solid  ground  under  their 
feet  once  more,  and  then  march  up  the  hill  towards 
the  flagstaff;  some  zealous  Captain  Manuel,  per- 
haps, rejoicing  in  the  prospect  of  "  a  steady  drill." 
But  the  weather  grows  thick  and  stormy.  Nothing 
is  heard  or  seen  on  the  15th.  Yet  a  passage  in 
to-day's  orders  gives  Greene  more  uneasiness  than 
the  enemy.  Hitchcock's  regiment,  wdiicli  has  been 
with  him  from  the  beginning,  w^hich  is  so  well 
drilled,  so  carefully  disciplined,  Avhich  keeps  its 
arms  in  such  good  order,  which  know^s  the  ground 
so  thoroughly,  and  has  so  "  peculiar  an  attachment 
to  the  old  regiments,"  is  to  be  taken  from  him,  and 
"  strangers  to  the  ground,"  who,  if  they  are  like 
most  of  the  troops  that  come  over,  "  are  undisci- 
plined, and  badly  furnished  with  arms,"  are  to  take 
its  place.  He  had  counted  upon  these  men :  they 
and  the  regiments  they  had  so  "  long  been  ac- 
quainted with,"  who  w^ere  "not  only  attached  to 
each  other,  but  to  the  place,  ....  would  support 
each  other,  in  time  of  action,"  as  strangers,  or  mere 

1  For  a  full  view  of  this  interest-     handeldeutscherFiirsten  nach  Amer- 
ing  subject,  see   Kapp's    "  Soldaten-     ica." 


204  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

acquaintances  of  a  clay,  could  not  be  expected  to 
do.  "If  it  can  possibly  be  dispensed  with,  and 
absolute  necessity  does  not  require  their  removal," 
he  would  wish  them  to  stav. 

Then  the  militia,  notwithstanding  the  "  promise 
of  the  lieutenantrcolonel,"'  did  not  come  in.  "  Should 
they  delay  coming  in  any  longer  than  this  day,  I 
am  determined  not  to  be  trifled  with,  and  shall  let 
them  feel  my  resentment  by  vigorous  and  spirited 
exertions  of  military  discipline,  and  those  powers 
with  which  I  am  invested."  A  part  of  the  militia, 
however,  had  joined  him,  under  Colonel  Smith,  and 
to  him  he  had  issued,  on  the  9th,  his  first  marching 
orders,  charging  him  to  "  send  out  scouts  and  par- 
ties to  gain  intelligence.  If  the  enemy  should 
make  their  landing  good  on  any  part  of  the  island, 
and  hear  of  your  coming,  they  may  send  out  a 
party  to  interrupt  your  march.  Keep  good  front, 
flank,  and  rear  guards,  to  prevent  being  sur- 
prised." 

But  the  "  troops  appear  to  be  in  exceedingly 
good  spirits,"  and  he  has  "  no  doubt  but  that,  if  the 
enemv  should  make  their  attack  there,  he  would  be 
able  to  render  a  very  good  account  of  them."  Mean- 
while he  is  "carrying  into  execution  the  late  re- 
solve of  Congress,  respecting  the  removal  of  the 
cattle,  dismantling  of  the  mills,  removing  the  grain 
already  threshed,  and  having  that  which  is  still  in 
sheaf  so  stacked  and  disposed  of  that,  in  case  of 
an  attack,  it  may  easily  be  destroyed."  ^ 

*  Force,  Archives,  5th  Series,  Vol.  I.  p.  967. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  205 

It  is  true  that  these  daybreak  and  evening  rides 
in  that  unwholesome  air  have  not  been  taken  with 
impunity ;  he  is  "  confined  to  his  bed  with  a  raging 
fever,"  but  "  hopes,  through  the  assistance  of  Provi- 
dence, to  be  able  to  ride,  before  the  presence  of  the 
enemy  may  make  it  absolutely  necessary."  His 
aid  —  W.  S.  Livingston  —  writes  for  him  the  16th, 
and  it  may  have  been  a  comfort  to  him  to  know 
that  there  was  "no  appearance  of  any  immediate 
preparation  for  an  attack."  Still  the  fever  increases. 
"  I  am  sorry  to  inform  your  Excellency,"  w^rites  Liv- 
ingston, on  the  17th,  "  that  General  Greene  had  a 
very  bad  night  of  it,  and  cannot  be  said  to  be  any 
better  this  morning  than  he  was  yesterday." 

William  Blodo-et  writes  for  him  the  next  dav,  and 
in  a  more  cheerful  strain  :  "The  General  desires  me 
to  acquaint  your  Excellency  that  he  finds  himself 
considerably  better  this  morning ;  and  is  in  hopes, 
in  a  few  days,  to  be  able  to  go  abroad,  though  still 
very  weak."  And,  rising  on  his  pillow,  Greene 
writes  a  letter  himself,  about  a  Captain  Grimes, 
-who  was  said  to  have  given  several  indications  of 
cowardice.  On  the  following  day  a  report  comes 
in  that  "  five  small  vessels,"  with  troops  aboard,  had 
made  their  appearance  at  Hog  Island  Inlet,  and  two 
pettyaugers  off  Oyster  Bay,  —  a  marauding  expe- 
dition in  search  of  live-stock.  He  "immediately 
detaches  a  party  of  horse,  and  two  hundred  and 
twenty  men,  among  them  twenty  rifles." 

And  thus  the  days  pass  on,  —  fever  holding  him 
down,  his  strong  will  buoying  him  up,  till  the  signs 


20G  LIFE   OF   NATHAN.VEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

of  attack  become  so  manifest,  and  the  danger  so 
imminent,  that  Washington  is  constrained  to  send, 
first  SuHivan,  and  then  Putnam,  to  take  his  place, 
Avhile  he  is  carried  over  to  the  city.  And  there,  in 
the  house  of  John  Inglis,  in  the  Sailors'  Snug  Har- 
bor, on  what  is  now  the  northwest  corner  of  Broad- 
way and  Ninth  Street,  though  a  quiet  suburban 
retreat  then,  he  lay  when  the  battle  of  Long  Island 
was  fought.  It  was  only  three  or  four  miles  from 
the  scene,  and  he  could  hear  it  all ;  and  his  brother 
Christopher,  who  was  with  him,  brought  him  the 
tidings  from  the  field  as  fast  as  they  could  be  gath- 
ered. When  he  heard  how  hard  it  had  fared  with 
Smallwood's  reo-iment  he  burst  into  tears.  Of  all 
the  anxious  hearts  of  the  next  forty-eight  hours, 
there  was  none  more  anxious  than  his.  At  last, 
early  in  the  morning,  comes  word  that  the  army  is 
over  the  river, —  the  works,  indeed,  which  he  had 
toiled  so  hard  to  make  impregnable,  are  lost,  but 
men,  equipage,  baggage,  are  saved.  "  It  was  the 
best  effected  retreat  I  ever  read  of  or  heard  of, 
considering  the  difficulties,"  he  exclaimed,  with 
magnanimous  exultation. 

"Providence  took  me  out  of  the  way,"  he  writes 
on  the  .SOth.  "I  have  been  very  sick  for  near 
three  weeks  ;  for  several  days  there  was  a  hard 
strui^grle  between  nature  and  the  disorder,  I  am 
now  a  little  better,  though  scarcely  able  to  sit  up 
an  hour  at  a  time.  I  have  no  strength  or  appetite, 
and  my  disorder,  from  its  operation,  appears  to 
threaten    me    with    long    confinement.      Gracious 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  207 

God !  to  be  confined  at  sucli  a  time  !  And  the 
misfortune  is  doubly  great,  as  there  was  no  gen- 
eral officer  who  had  made  himself  acquainted  with 
the  ground  as  perfectly  as  I  had.  I  have  not  the 
vanity  to  think  the  event  would  have  been  other- 
wise had  I  been  there,  yet  I  think  I  could  have 
given  the  commanding  general  a  good  deal  of 
necessary  information.      Great  events,  sometimes, 

depend  upon  very  Httle  causes I  think,  from 

this  manoeuvre,  the  General  purposes  to  retreat  to 
King's  Bridge,  and  there  make  the  grand  stand. 
....  If  this  is  the  determination,  two  to  one 
New  York  is  laid  in  ashes." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Condition  of  the  Army  after  the  Battle  of  Long  Island. —  Greene  con- 
valescent. —  Letter  to  Washin<rton.  —  Coinu'il  of  War.  —  Unfor- 
tunate  Decision.  —  Greene  urges  the  Call  of  a  New  Council.  — 
Decision  reversed.  —  Retreat  from  New  York.  —  Battle  of  Ilarlaem. 

—  Greene  in  Command  in  the  Jersies.  —  "What  was  thought  of  him. 

—  His  Idea  of  what  should  be  done.  —  Preparations  for  Defence.  — 
His  Opinion  of  Congress.  —  Letter  to  Governor  Cooke.  —  Resolves 
of  Congress.  —  Public  Opinion.  —  Privateering.  —  Hospitals.  —  Rec- 
ommendation of  Officers  for  the  New  Army.  —  Charles  Lee. 

A  SICK-ROOM  could  not  hold  Greene  long  at 
■^-^  such  a  time.  The  retreat  from  Long  Island, 
which  in  his  judgment  was  a  triumph  of  military 
skill  bindino;  him  still  more  firmlv  to  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief,  was,  for  the  bulk  of  the  army,  a 
lucky  e.'^cape,  exciting  only  a  general  conviction  of 
their  inaljility  to  resist  so  powerful  an  enemy.  "  All 
is  gone ;  the  regulars  must  overcome,"  said  the 
militia;^  and  the  militia,  with  new  levies  equally 
worthless,  formed  more  than  a  third  of  the  army. 
Sickness  added  its  depressing  influence  to  the  other 
causes  of  dejection ;  a  fourth  of  the  whole  army,  as 
the  returns  showed,  being  sick  within  nine  days 
after  the  retreat.  It  was  difficult  to  provide  com- 
fortably for  these  sick  men,  with  the  inadequate 
means  of  the    general    and   regimental    hospitals, 

1  See  Gordon,  American  Revolution,  Vol.  II.  p.  324. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  209 

and  the  incompetency  in  many  cases,  and  in  some 
the  dishonesty,  of  the  regimental  surgeons ;  ^  and 
many  a  man  who  would  not  have  feared  the  enemy 
may  have  felt  his  heart  sink  within  him  as  he 
helped  carry  a  comrade  to  the  hospital  or  the 
grave,  and  thought  how  little  it  would  take  to  re- 
duce him  to  the  same  condition.  Local  jealousies, 
too,  were  at  work  undermining  the  imperfect  be- 
ginnings of  union,  setting  the  men  of  one  section 
against  the  men  of  another  section,  and,  what  was 
doubly  dangerous,  bringing  out  in  full  force  the 
natural  opposition  between  the  democratic  ele- 
ments of  the  Eastern  States  and  the  semi-aristo- 
cratic elements  of  a  portion  of  the  Middle  States.^ 
The  officers  from  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland  and 
Delaware  looked  down  with  great  contempt  upon 
the  officers  from  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  and 
Rhode  Island,  and,  if  not  always  without  reason,  — 
for  the  custom  of  permitting  the  men  to  choose  their 
own  officers  had  given  many  a  man  epaulets  who 
was  hardly  fit  for  the  ranks,  —  yet  often  with  great 
injustice,  for  Knowlton  was  a  Connecticut  man, 
and  Glover  a  Massachusetts  man,  and  Hitchcock 
a  Rhode  Island  man,  and  always  with  serious  in- 
jury to  the  common  cause ;  for  how  could  the  pri- 
vates be  expected  to  stand  by  each  other  in  battle, 

1  Gordon's  strong  statement,  Vol.  ^  Grajdon's  Memoirs  contain,  per- 
il, pp.  334,  335,  is  confirmed  by  the  haps,  the  most  striking  expression  of 
correspondence  of  the  time.  One  of  this  feeling,  in  which  the  writer  him- 
thera  was  drummed  out  of  the  army  self  seems  to  have  shared  largely, 
for  selling  recommendations  to  fur-  See  also  an  extract  from  a  contempo- 
loughs  at  sixpence  sterling.  rary  letter  in  Gordon,  Vol.  II.  p.  331. 
14 


210  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

"when  the  officers  hated  each  other  even  more  than 
they  hated  the  enemy  ?  Insubordination,  desertion, 
cowardice  before  the  enemy,  and  insolence  and 
oppression  towards  their  friends,  were  the  natural 
fruits  of  these  feelings,^  heightened  by  the  crafty 
insinuations  of  the  disaffected  that  the  leaders 
were  seeking  to  save  themselves  by  selling  the 
army  to  the  British.^  The  emergency  which 
Greene  had  foretold  in  his  letters  to  John  Adams 
was  come.     Was  he  prepared  to  meet  it? 

We  left  him  scarcely  "  able  to  sit  up  an  hour  at 
a  time,"  much  less  to  walk  across  the  room,  but 
already  interpreting  Washington's  designs  by  his 
last  movement.  Five  da3^s  pass  without  a  record, 
his  strength  gradually  returning  the  while ;  how 
fast  or  how  slow  we  know  not,  or  by  what  help  of 
air  and  exercise,  but  so  effectually  that  as  early  as 
the  5th  we  find  him  at  his  desk  again,  pen  in 
hand,  writing  a  letter  to  Washington,  which  presup- 
poses many  anxious  inquiries  and  much  anxious 
thought.  As  yet  Washington's  intentions  were 
unknown ;  no  council  had  been  summoned,  no 
opinions  called  for ;  but  Greene  could  not  restrain 
his  feelings. 

"  The  critical  situation  which  the  army  is  in,"  he 
writes,  "  "will,  I  hope,  sufficiently  apologize  for  my  troub- 
ling your  Excellency  with  this  letter.  The  sentiments 
are  dictated,  I  am  sure,  by  an  honest  mind,  —  a  mind 
which   feels  deeply   interested  in  the   salvation  of  this 

1  Letter    in    Gordon,  Vol.    II.  p.        ^  Greene  to  Washington,  Septem- 
332.  ber  5th. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  211 

country,  and  for  the  honor  and  reputation  of  the  General 
under  whom  he  serves. 

"  The  object  under  consideration  is,  whether  a  general 
and  speedy  retreat  from  this  island  is  necessary  or  not. 
To  me  it  appears  the  only  eligible  plan  to  oppose  the  en- 
emy successfully,  and  secure  ourselves  from  disgrace.  I 
think  we  have  no  object  on  this  side  of  King's  Bridge. 
Our  troops  are  now  so  scattered  that  one  part  may  be  cut 
off  before  the  others  can  come  to  their  support.  In  this 
situation,  suppose  the  enemy  should  run  up  the  North 
River  several  ships  of  force,  and  a  number  of  transports 
at  the  same  time,  and  effect  a  landing  between  the  town 
and  middle  division  of  the  army ;  another  party  from 
Long  Island  should  land  right  opposite  ;  these  two  par- 
ties form  a  line  across  the  island,  and  intrench  themselves. 
The  two  flanks  of  this  line  could  be  easily  supported  by 
the  shipping;  the  centre,  fortified  with  the  redoubts, 
would  render  it  very  difficult  if  not  impossible  to  cut  our 
way  through. 

"  At  the  time  the  enemy  are  executing  this  movement 
or  manoeuvre  they  will  be  able  to  make  sufficient  diver- 
sions, if  not  real  lodgements,  to  render  it  impossible  for 
the  centre  and  upper  divisions  of  the  army  to  afford  any 
assistance  here.  Should  this  event  take  place  (and,  by 
the  by,  I  don't  think  it  very  improbable),  your  Excel- 
lency will  be  reduced  to  that  situation  which  every 
prudent  general  would  wish  to  avoid,  —  that  is,  of  be- 
ing obliged  to  fight  the  enemy  to  a  disadvantage,  or 
submit. 

"  It  has  been  agreed  that  the  city  of  New  York  would 
not  be  tenable  if  the  enemy  got  possession  of  Long  Island 
and  of  Governor's  Island.  They  are  now  in  possession 
of  both  these  places.  Notwithstanding,  I  think  we  might 
hold  it  for  some  time,  but  the  annoyance  must  be  so  great 
as  to  render   it   an  unfit  place  to   hold   troops   in.      If 


212  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

we  should   hold   it,  we  must   hold   it  to  a  great  disad- 
vantage. 

"  The  city  and  island  of  New  York  are  no  objects  for 
us ;  we  are  not  to  bring  thein  into  competition  with  the 
general  interests  of  America.  Part  of  the  army  already 
has  met  with  a  defeat ;  the  country  is  struck  with  a 
panic  ;  any  capital  loss  at  this  time  may  ruin  the  cause. 
'T  is  our  business  to  study  to  avoid  any  considerable 
misfortune,  and  to  take  post  where  the  enemy  will  be 
obliged  to  fight  us,  and  not  we  them.  The  sacrifice  of 
the  vast  property  of  New  York  and  the  suburbs  I  hope 
has  no  influence  upon  your  Excellency's  measures.  Re- 
member the  King  of  France.  When  Charles  the  Fifth, 
Emperor  of  Germany,  invaded  his  kingdom,  he  laid 
whole  provinces  waste,  and  by  that  policy  he  starved  and 
ruined  Charles's  army,  and  defeated  him  without  fighting 
a  battle.  Two  thirds  of  the  property  of  the  city  of  New 
York  and  the  suburbs  belongs  to  the  Tories.  We  have 
no  very  great  reason  to  run  any  considerable  risk  for  its 
defence.  If  we  attempt  to  hold  the  city  and  island,  and 
should  not  be  able  finally,  we  shall  be  wasting  time 
unnecessarily,  and  betray  a  defect  of  judgment,  if  no 
worse  misfortune  attend  it. 

"  I  give  it  as  my  opinion,  that  a  general  and  speedy 
retreat  is  absolutely  necessary,  and  that  the  honor  and 
interest  of  America  require  it.  I  would  burn  the  city 
and  suburbs,  and  that  for  the  following  reasons.  If  the 
enemy  gets  possession  of  the  city,  we  never  can  recover 
the  possession  without  a  superior  naval  force  to  theirs ;  it 
will  deprive  the  enemy  of  an  opportunity  of  barracking 
their  whole  army  together,  which,  if  they  could  do, 
would  be  a  very  great  security.  It  will  deprive  them  of 
a  general  market ;  the  price  of  things  would  prove  a 
temptation  to  our  people  to  supply  them  for  the  sake 
of  the  gain,  in  direct  violation  of  the  laws  of  their 
country. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  213 

"  All  these  advantages  would  result  from  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  city,  and  not  one  benefit  can  arise  to  us  from 
its  preservation,  that  I  can  conceive  of.  If  the  city  once 
gets  into  the  enemy's  hands,  it  will  be  at  their  mercy 
either  to  save  or  destroy  it,  after  they  have  made  what 
use  of  it  they  think  proper. 

"  At  the  retreat  I  would  order  the  army  to  take  post  at 
King's  Bridge,  and  post  along  Westchester  shore,  where 
barracks  may  be  procured  for  that  part  of  the  army  that 
are  without  tents.  I  must  confess  I  am  too  ignorant  of 
the  ground  to  form  much  judgment  about  posting  the 
troops.  Your  Excellency's  superior  judgment,  formed 
from  your  own  observation  upon  the  ground,  will  enable 
you  to  make  a  much  better  disposition  than  I  can  con- 
ceive of. 

"If  my  zeal  has  led  me  to  say  more  than  I  ought,  I 
hope  my  good  intentions  may  atone  for  the  offence. 

"  I  shall  only  add  that  these  sentiments  are  not  dic- 
tated from  fear,  nor  from  any  apprehension  of  personal 
danger  ;  but  are  the  result  of  a  cool  and  deliberate  sur- 
vey of  our  situation,  and  the  necessary  measures  to  extri- 
cate us  from  our  present  difficulties.  I  have  said  nothing 
at  all  about  the  temper  and  disposition  of  the  troops,  and 
their  apprehensions  about  being  sold.  This  is  a  strong 
intimation  that  it  will  be  difficult  to  get  such  troops  to 
behave  with  proper  spirit  in  time  of  action,  if  we  should 
be  attacked. 

"  Should  your  Excellency  agree  with  me  with  respect 
to  the  two  first  points,  that  is,  that  a  speedy  and  general 
retreat  is  necessary,  and  also  that  the  city  and  suburbs 
should  be  burned,  I  would  advise  to  call  a  general  council 
upon  that  question,  and  take  every  general  officer's  opin- 
ion upon  it." 

The  same  grave  questions  were  agitating  Wash- 


214  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

ington's  own  mind.  "  Till  of  late,"  he  had  written 
the  President  of  Congress  on  the  2d,  "  I  had  no 
doubt  in  my  own  mind  of  defending  this  place  ; 
nor  should  I  have  yet,  if  the  men  would  do  their 
duty  ;  but  this  I  despair  of  ....  If  I  should  be 
obliored  to  abandon  the  town,  ouo-ht  it  to  stand  as 
•winter  quarters  for  the  enemy  ?  "  ^  Greene's  letter 
coming  to  him  while  in  this  mood,  he  called  a 
council  of  general  officers  on  the  Tth,  laid  the  situ- 
ation of  the  army  before  them,  and  asked  their 
opinion  as  to  his  future  movements.  Unfortunately, 
an    exao-o-erated    importance  was  attached  to  the 

CO  i 

preservation  of  New  York.  Congress  had  decided 
that  if  the  army  were  compelled  to  leave  it,  "  no 
damage  "  should  be  done  it.^  Even  in  the  army 
some  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  abandoning  "  the 
poor  city."  "  The  very  thought  gives  me  the  hor- 
rors," wrote  Colonel  Malcolm  to  John  McKesson,^ 
the  day  before  the  council  met,  and  the  feeling 
was,  doubtless,  largely  shared  by  the  army.  But, 
what  was  far  worse,  it  was  shared  by  the  council 
also,  who  decided  by  a  large  majority  to  try  to  hold 
the  city  with  five  thousand  men,  and  post  the  rest 
of  the  army  at  King's  Bridge  and  intermediate 
points.  '•  There  were  some  general  officers,"  wrote 
Washington,    '•  in   whose  judgment    and    opinion 

^  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p.  72.  •  their  leaving  it ;  the  Congress  imving 
2  "  Resoiced,  Th.it  General  Wash-  no  doubt  of  being  able  to  recover  the 
ington  be  acquainted  that  Congress  same,  though  the  enemy  should,  for  a 
would  have  especial  care  taken,  in  time,  obtain  possession  of  iu" — Jour- 
case  he  should  find  it  necessary  to  nals  of  Congress,  September  3,  1776. 
qnit  New  York,  that  no  damage  be  *  Force,  Archives,  5ih  Series,  Vol. 
done  to  said  city  by  his  troops,  on  II.  p.  197. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  215 

much  confidence  is  to  be  placed,  that  were  for  a 

total  and  immediate  removal  from  the  city 

But  they  were  overruled  by  a  majority."  ^  What 
Washington  himself  thought  is  evident  from  the 
tone  of  this  last  paragraph. 

Greene  left  the  council-room  with  a  heav}''  heart, 
but  by  no  means  disposed  to  accept  the  decision  as 
final,  without  another  attempt  to  open  the  eyes  of 
his  colleag-ues  to  their  danarer.  It  was  a  delicate 
thing  for  the  lowest  major-general  on  the  list  to 
ask  a  reconsideration  of  the  decision  of  a  full  board 
of  general  officers,  and  it  was  a  still  more  delicate 
thing  to  collect  the  opinions  of  subordinates  upon 
a  question  already  discussed  and  determined  by 
superiors.  No  man's  ideas  were  more  decided  than 
his  as  to  the  imperative  duty  of  subordination  in  an 
army  ;  and  in  this  taking  counsel  against  a  council 
there  was  something  that  looked  very  much  like  in- 
subordination. But  this  was  no  time  for  personal 
considerations,  or  a  scrupulous  adherence  to  form 
and  precedent ;  and  after  consulting  some  of  the 
field-officers,  he  put  into  Washington's  hands  on 
the  11th  a  petition  for  a  second  council,  signed  by 
Nixon,  Mifflin,  Beall,  Parsons,  Wadsworth,  and  Scott; 
his  own  name  standing  at  the  head  as  the  only 
major-general  on  the  list.^ 

This  was  all  that  Washington  waited  for ;  and 
immediately  summoning  a  council  for  the  next  day 
at  General  McDougall's  head-quarters,  the  decision 

1  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  pp.  84,  85. 

2  Force,  American  Archives,  5th  Series,  Vol.  II.  p.'326. 


216  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1776. 

of  the  first  council  was  reversed  with  onl}'  three 
dissenting  voices,  —  Spencer,  Clinton,  and  Heath. 
Eiii-ht  thousand  men  were  to  be  left  "  for  the  de- 
fence  of  Mount  Washington  and  its  dependencies."  ^ 
Every  nerve  was  now  strained  to  remove  the 
stores  and  baggage,  and  convey  the  sick  to  a  place 
of  greater  security.  But  eight  precious  days  had 
already  been  lost.  On  Sunday,  the  15th,  Howe 
landed  between  Kips's  and  Turtle  Bay ;  and  in  the 
"  miserable  and  disorderly  retreat "  which  followed 
Washington's  invaluable  life  was  imperilled  by  the 
cowardice  of  Parsons's  and  Fellows's  brigades ;  and 
Putnam,  with  three  thousand  five  hundred  men, 
was  barely  saved  from  capture,  by  the  '•  cakes  and 
wine  "  of  Mrs.  Murray.'^  "  Are  these  the  men  with 
whom  I  am  to  save  America  ? "  cried  Washington, 
in  the  bitterness  of  his  heart.^  But  in  the  fore- 
noon of  the  next  day,  a  skirmish  of  outposts 
gradually  swelling  to  the  proportions  of  a  battle, 
the  Americans  drove  the  British  from  three  suc- 
cessive positions,  and  withdrew,  at  last,  volunta- 
rily, in  order  to  prevent  the.  engagement  from 
becoming  general.  It  was  Greene's  first  close 
fight ;  and  though  he  had  no  command  in  it,  he 
went  into  it,  with  Putnam  and  Reed,  for  example's 
sake,  and  "  fought  hard."  ^     Great  was  the  exulta- 

1  Force,  ut  sup.,  pp.  329,  330.  *  Greene  to  Governor  Cooke,  Sep- 
'  Gordon,  American  Revolution,  tember  17,  speaks  of  "the  spirited 
Vol.  II.  pp.  327,  328;  Greene  to  conduct  of  General  Putnam  and  Col- 
Governor  Cooke,  September  17  ;  one!  lioed,"  without  alludiii}^  to  his 
Ramsav,  American  Revolution,  Vol.  own  share  in  the  fight ;  but  in  a  let- 
I.  p  306  ;  Thatcher,  Military  Journal,  ter  to  Colonel  II.  Lee,  February  18, 
p.  59.  1782,  he  says,  "  I  fought  hard  at  Ilar- 
8  Heath.  lem." 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  217 

tion  of  the  Americans  at  this  proof  that  the  Brit- 
ish could  still  be  made  to  run,  and  the  Hessians 
too.  But  D;reat  and  sincere  was  the  mournino-  over 
the  gallant  Knowlton,  who  could  ill  be  spared  by 
an  army  which,  amid  its  many  wants,  wanted  most 
of  all  officers  like  him,  whom  it  could  look  up  to 
with  respect  and  follow  with  confidence. 

From  the  first  appearance  of  the  enemy  in  the 
waters  of  New  York,  no  pains  had  been  spared  to 
secure  New  Jersey  and  the  communications  with 
Philadelphia.  A  flying  camp  had  been  established, 
the  militia  called  out,  and  works  thrown  up  at  im- 
portant points.  Especial  importance  had  been  at- 
tached to  Fort  Constitution,  on  the  Palisades,* 
which,  it  was  hoped,  would,  with  Fort  Washington, 
on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Hudson,  effectually 
command  the  passage  of  the  river,  and  thus  secure 
both  the  country  above  and  the  crossings  at  the 
ferries.  General  Mercer  and  General  Livingston 
had  been  active  in  all  these  measures,  and  much 
was  justly  expected  from  their  intelligence  and 
zeal.  But  the  day  after  the  fight  at  Harlem, 
Greene  was  ordered  over  to  take  command  in  the 
Jerseys,  with  his  head-quarters  at  Fort  Constitution. 
His  detachment  was  composed  of  three  brigades, 
—  Nixon's,  Clinton's,  and  Irvine's,  —  and  two  regi- 
ments,—  Bradley's  and  Dey's,  —  the  last  of  them 
militia,  forming  a  total,  on  the  29th  of  September, 
of  three  thousand  five  hundred  and  twenty-one, 
rank  and  file,  present  and  fit  for  duty,  out  of  a 
body  of  five  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seven. 

1  Washington  to  Mercer,  September  3,  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p.  75. 


218  LIFE    OF   NATII.\>'AEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

It  was  a  position  of  great  responsibility,  imply- 
ing a  confidence  highly  flattering  to  his  feelings, 
and  a  well-earned  reward  of  the  zeal  he  had  dis- 
phned  from  his  first  entrance  into  the  army. 
"  You  have  a  very  just  idea  of  Greene's  impor- 
tance,'' writes  Tench  Tilghman,  one  of  Washing- 
ton's own  staff,  who  was  watching  him  from  head- 
quarters, to  William  Duer,  who  was  watching  him 
from  Fishkill,  as  a  member  of  the  Convention's 
Committee  of  Correspondence ;  ''  he  is,  beyond 
doubt,  a  first-rate  military  genius,  and  one  in 
whose  opinions  the  General  places  the  utmost  con- 
fidence.^ He  is  so  near  us  that  he  can  give  every 
assistance  in  the  way  of  advice  ;  and,  should  the 
euenw  relinquish  their  plan  against  the  Jersey  side, 
he  can  also  be  spared  to  attend  in  time  of  action." 
"  I  remember,"  says  Colonel  Pickering,  "  that,  as  I 
was  passing  the  night  at  Providence,  on  my  way  to 
New  York,  with  my  regiment,  in  1776,  the  conver- 
sation turned  upon  the  possibility  of  Washington's 
being  killed,  and  who,  in  case  of  such  a  misfortune, 
was  best  qualified  to  take  his  place.  Greene,  it 
was  acknowledged  by  all,  was  the  proper  man."  ^ 

Everj^thing  now  depended  upon  being  able  to 
"  make  a  stand  "  before  the  enemy,  and  keep  them 
at  bav,  or  at  least  so  far  retard  their  advance  as  to 
draw  out  the  campaign  without  giving  them  an 
opportunity  to  strike  another  blow  like  that  of 
Long  Island.    "  I  think,"  Greene  writes  to  Governor 

1  Force,  American   Archives,  5th        '^  Pickering  MSS. 
Series,  Vol.  II.  p.  870. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  219 

Cooke,  on  the  17th,  "and  so  does  his  Excellency, 
that  the  operations  of  the  campaign  will  have  no 
effect  upon  you,  as  it  will  be  impossible  for  the 
enemy  to  detach  any  part  of  the  army  while  our 
army  is  able  to  make  any  stand.  I  would  not 
evacuate  one  foot  of  ground  (in  Rhode  Island),  as 
it  will  tend  to  encourage  the  enemy,  and  dispirit 
our  people." 

In  the  Jerseys,  as  on  Long  Island,  his  task  was 
one  of  sleepless  watchfulness.  "  The  enemy  are 
landed  at  Powley's  Hook,"  he  writes  from  "  Camp 
Fort  Constitution  "  on  the  23d.  "  They  came  up  this 
afternoon,  and  began  a  cannonade  on  the  batteries, 
and,  after  cannonading  for  half  an  hour,  or  a  little 
more,  they  landed  a  party  from  the  ships.  Gen- 
eral Mercer  had  ordered  off  from  the  Hook  all  the 
troops,  except  a  small  guard,  who  had  orders  to 
evacuate  the  place  from  the  first  approach  of  the 
enemy.  General  Mercer  mentions  no  troops  but 
those  landed  from  the  ships,  but  Colonel  Bull,  and 
many  others  that  were  along  the  river  upon  the 
heights,  saw  twenty  boats  go  over  from  New  York 
to  Powley's  Hook.  This  movement  must  have 
happened  since  General  Mercer  wrote.  I  propose 
visiting  Bergen  to-night,  as  General  Mercer  thinks 
of  going  to  his  post  at  Amboy  to-morrow.  I  pur- 
pose to  detain  him  one  day  longer." 

On  examining  the  position,  he  determined  to 
hold  it  a  few  days  longer,  pushing  forward  his 
advanced  guard  "  to  a  mill  just  back  of  Powley's 
Hook."     But  early  in  October  he  decided  to  evac- 


220  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

uate  Bergen  also  ;  "  a  measure,"  says  a  letter  of  the 
time,  "  which  will  first  be  condemned  and  after- 
wards approved."  ^  And  thus,  by  the  5th  of  Octo- 
ber, he  found  himself  with  his  troops  collected,  and 
equally  prepared  to  meet  an  attack  on  his  own 
side  of  the  river,  or  go  to  Washington's  assistance, 
if  needed,  on  the  other  side. 

It  was  one  of  the  trials  of  his  situation,  as  well  as 
of  AYashington's,  that  his  confidence  in  the  wisdom 
and  justice  of  Congress  had  been  fatally  impaired. 
The  mistakes  of  the  first  year  might  have  been  at- 
tributed to  inexperience  and  novelty  of  position  ; 
but  they  had  all  been  carefulh^  repeated  in  the 
second  year,  and  the  campaign  was  again  wearing 
away  without  any  adequate  provision  for  the  fu- 
ture. He  could  not  see  these  things  without  deep 
anxiety  ;  but  it  was  an  anxiety  free  from  any  doubt 
about  the  issue  of  the  contest,  for  he  knew  the  re- 
sources of  the  country,  he  knew  the  character  of 
the  people,  and  he  was  confident  that  if  those  re- 
sources were  properly  drawn  out,  and  that  charac- 
ter wisely  used,  England  would  be  compelled  to 
yield. 

"  I  apprehend,"  he  says,  in  a  private  letter  of  the  28th, 
"  the  several  retreats  that  have  lately  taken  place  begin 
to  make  you  think  all  is  lost.  Don't  he  frightened  ; 
our  cause  is  not  yet  in  a  desperate  state.  Tlie  policy  of 
Congress  has  been  tiie  most  absurd  and  ridiculous  im- 
aginable, pouring  in  militia-men  who  come  and  go  every 
month.     A  military  force  established   upon  such  princi- 

1  Force,  American  Archives,  5th  Series,  Vol.  II.  p.  867. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  221 

pies  defeats  itself.  People  coming  from  home  with  all 
the  tender  feelings  of  domestic  life  are  not  sufficiently- 
fortified  witli  natural  courage  to  stand  the  shocking  scenes 
of  war.  To  march  over  dead  men,  to  liear  without  con- 
cern the  groans  of  the  wounded, —  I  say  few  men  can  stand 
such  scenes,  unless  steeled  by  habit  or  fortified  by  military 
pride. 

"  There  must  be  a  good  army  established  ;  men  engaged 
for  the  war  ;  a  proper  corps  of  officers  ;  and  then,  after  a 
proper  time  to  discipline  the  men,  everything  is  to  be 
exp'i-^d. 

"The  Congress  goes  upon  a  penurious  plan.  The 
present  pay  of  the  officers  will  not  support  them,  and  it  is 
generally  determined  by  the  best  officers  to  quit  the  ser- 
vice, unless  a  more  adequate  provision  is  made  for  their 
support.  The  present  establishment  is  not  tliought  repu- 
table. 

"  The  Congress  has  never  furnished  the  men  voted  by 
near  one  half,  certainly  by  above  a  third.  Had  we  had 
numbers  we  need  not  have  retreated  from  Long  Island  or 
New  York.  But  the  extent  of  ground  to  guard  rendered 
the  retreat  necessary  ;  otherwise  the  army  would  have 
been  ruined  by  detachments.  The  enemy  never  could 
have  driven  us  from  Long  Island  and  New  York  if  our 
rear  had  been  secured.  We  must  have  an  army  to  meet 
the  enemy  everywhere  ;  to  act  offensively  as  well  as  de- 
fensively. Our  soldiers  are  as  good  as  ever  were  ;  and 
were  the  officers  half  as  good  as  the  men,  they  would  beat 
any  army  on  the  globe  of  equal  numbers."  ^ 

When  these  lines  were  written  a  committee  of 
Congress  was  already  in  camp,  "  to  make  inquiry 
into  the  condition  of  the  army,  and  agree  upon  the 
necessary  augmentation."     "  The  general  officers," 

1  Extract  from  a  private  letter.     Sept.  28,  1776. 


222  LIFE    OF   NATIIA^^VEL    GREENE.  [[1776. 

savs  Heath  on  the  26th,  "were  in  council  with  a 
committee  of  Congress."  And  on  the  27th,  says 
the  same  somewhat  meagre  but  still  valuable  diary, 
"  the  council  sat  again."  -^  The  result  was  a  resolu- 
tion to  raise  a  new  army  without  delay. 

"  The  Congress,"  Greene  writes  a  friend  in  Rhode  Isl- 
and on  the  3d  of  October,  "  have  ordered  eighty-eight 
regiments  to  be  raised  for  the  war.  This  looks  well. 
For  God's  sake  let  us  have  good  officers  from  Rhode 
Island,  if  you  wish  to  preserve  its  reputation.  We  want 
nothing  but  good  officers  to  constitute  as  good  an  army  as 
ever  marched  into  the  field.  Our  men  are  infinitely  liet- 
ter  than  the  officers.  I  do  not  speak  of  Rhode  Island  offi- 
cers, for  they  are  generally  good,  and  behaved  exceeding 
well  in  the  late  action.  They  did  themselves  a  great  deal 
of  honor.  I  shall  send  a  list  to  the  Governor  of  such  as 
deserve  a  preference.  I  think  you  may  officer  your  regi- 
ment as  well  as  any  on  the  continent,  if  you  will  consult 
nothing  but  the  merit  of  the  man." 

And,  writing  to  Governor  Cooke,  on  the  11th  :  — 

"  His  Excellency  General  Washington  will  transmit  you 
a  list  of  officers,  to  constitute  the  two  new  regiments  to 
be  raised  by  your  State.  The  most  of  those  officers  are 
gentlemen  whose  conduct  has  been  approved  by  those 
under  wliom  they  have  served.  The  success  of  the  cause, 
the  defeat  of  the  enemy,  the  honor  of  the  State,  and  the 
reputation  of  the  army,  altogether  depends  upon  the  es- 
tablishing a  good  core,  or  corps  of  officers.  My  little  ex- 
perience has  fully  convinced  me  that,  without  more 
attention  is  paid  by  the  different  States  in  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  officers,  the  troops  never  will  answer  their 

1  Heath,  Memoirs,  p.  66. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  223 

expectations.  I  hope,  as  everything  that  is  dear  and 
valuable  is  at  stake,  that  no  popular  prejudices  nor  family- 
connection  will  influence  the  House  in  the  appointment 
of  the  officers  for  the  new  army.  I  am  sensible  that 
America  has  as  good  material  to  form  an  army  as  any 
state  in  the  world  ;  but  without  a  good  set  of  officers,  the 
troops  will  be  little  better  than  a  lawless  banditti,  or  an 
ungovernable  mob.  The  Americans  possess  as  much 
natural  bravery  as  any  people  upon  earth,  but  habit  must 
form  the  soldier.  He  who  expects  men  brought  from  the 
tender  scenes  of  domestic  life  can  meet  danger  and  death 
with  a  becoming  fortitude  is  a  stranger  to  the  human 
heart. 

"  There  is  nothing  that  can  get  the  better  of  that  active 
principle  of  self-preservation,  but  a  proper  sentiment  of 
pride,  or  being  often  accustomed  to  danger.  As  the  prin- 
ciple of  pride  is  not  predominant  enough  in  the  minds  of 
the  common  soldiery,  the  force  of  habit  must  be  called 
in  to  its  aid,  to  get  the  better  of  our  natural  fears,  ever 
alarmed  at  the  approach  of  danger. 

"  There  has  been,  it  must  be  confessed,  some  shameful 
conduct  in  this  army  this  campaign,  in  a  great  measure 
owing  to  the  bad  conduct  of  the  officers.  I  have  neither 
seen  nor  heard  of  one  instance  of  cowardice  among  the 
old  troops,  where  they  had  good  officers  to  lead  them  on. 
In  the  last  action,  every  regiment  behaved  with  a  becom- 
ing spirit,  especially  Colonel  Hitchcock's  and  Colonel  Var- 
num's.  I  don't  wish  to  see  an  officer  in  the  army  but  such 
as  has  a  regard  for  their  reputation,  who  feels  a  sentiment 
of  honor,  and  is  ambitious  of  distinguishing  himself. 
Such  will  answer  the  public  expectation,  and  be  an  honor 
to  the  State  that  sent  him. 

"  Colonel  Varuum,  from  the  treatment  he  has  met  with 
from  Congress,  has  taken  the  resolution  of  leaving  the 
army.      The  Colony  are  generally  acquainted  with  his 


224  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

abilities,  (so)  that  lie  stands  in  no  need  of  a  recommenda- 
tion. Perhaps  the  House  may  think  proper  to  re-elect 
him,  and  give  him  the  opportunity  to  refuse  the  appoint- 
ment, as  a  compliment  due  to  his  party  services.  Colonel 
Cornwell  and  Colonel  Cearey,  you  '11  observe,  are  both  left 
out  in  the  general  arrangement.  They  were  both  in  the 
late  action,  and  behaved  exceeding  well ;  but  as  there  is  a 
reduction  of  regiments,  'tis  not  possible  to  accommodate 
the  whole,  and  there  is  a  preference  given  by  tiie  under 
officers,  though  they  have  never  been  consulted  upon  this 
occasion.  His  Excellency  has  put  down  only  such  as 
appears  deserving,  without  consulting  them  upon  the  sub- 
ject to  know  whether  they  would  serve  or  not.  The 
House  will  appoint  such  and  so  many  of  those  recom- 
mended as  they  shall  think  proper,  and  fill  the  vacancies 
of  their  own  choice  ;  but  I  hope  there  will  be  none  in  the 
arrangement  but  men  of  merit. 

"  The  several  retreats  and  evacuations  that  have  taken 
place  this  campaign,  without  doubt  has  alarmed  the  fear 
of  the  timid,  and  aroused  their  apprehension  of  an  ap- 
proaching ruin.  The  source  of  these  misfortunes  have 
originated  from  several  causes.  The  strength  of  the 
enemy  far  exceeded  the  expectations  of  Congress  ;  the  late 
season  that  they  attempted  to  call  in  a  reinforcement  to 
our  aid,  the  many  delays  that  took  place  among  the  differ- 
ent States  in  furnishing  their  proportion,  protracted  the 
time  of  collecting  the  forces  together  to  such  a  degree  that, 
when  the  enemy  had  their  whole  strength  together,  ours, 
in  different  detachments,  were  very  far  inferior  to  tiieirs. 
With  a  force  inferior  to  the  enemy  in  number,  with  troops 
that  were  mostly  raw  and  undisciplined,  with  young  and 
ignorant  officers,  what  could  be  expected  against  old,  ex- 
perienced officers,  with  veteran  troops  to  command,  short 
of  what  has  taken  place,  especially  when  you  take  in  the 
idea  of  the  extent  of  ground  we  had  to  guard,  and  the 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  225 

assistance  the  enemy  received  from  their  ships,  owing 
to  the  situation  of  the  posts  we  occupied  ?  The  militia 
has  come  and  gone  in  such  shoals  that  his  Excellency- 
could  never  tell  scarcely  two  days  together  the  strength 
he  had  at  any  one  post. 

"If  the  different  States  complete  the  establishment 
agreeable  to  the  resolves  of  Congress,  and  the  troops 
come  well  officered  (for  on  that  the  whole  depends),  I 
have  not  the  least  doubt  in  my  own  mind  but  that  in  a 
few  months  we  shall  be  able  to  seek  the  enemy  instead  of 
they  us.  I  know  our  men  are  more  than  equal  to  theirs  ; 
and  were  our  officers  equal  to  our  men,  we  should  have 
nothing  to  fear  from  the  best  troops  in  the  world.  I  do 
not  mean  to  derogate  from  the  worth  and  merit  of  all  the 
officers  in  tlie  army.  We  have  many  that  are  in  the  ser- 
vice deserving  of  the  highest  applause,  and  has  served 
with  reputation  and  honor  to  themselves  and  the  State 
that  sent  them  ;  and  I  am  happy  to  have  it  to  say  that 
the  Rhode  Island  regiments  hitherto  are  amongst  this 
number." 

John  Hancock,  too,  communicates  the  "  resolves  " 
to  the  General  Assembly  of  Rhode  Island  in  a 
letter  of  the  9th :  — 

"  The  enclosed  resolves,  which  I  transmit  in  obedience 
to  the  commands  of  Congress,  will  inform  you  of  the 
ample  provision  they  have  made  for  the  support  of  both 
officer  and  soldier  who  shall  enter  the  service  during  the 
war.  The  pay  of  the  former  is  considerably  increased  ; 
and  the  latter  is  to  receive  annually  a  complete  suit  of 
clothes,  or,  in  lieu  thereof,  the  sum  of  twenty  dollars 
should  he  provide  the  suit  for  himself.  This  additional 
encouragement,  besides  the  twenty-dollar  bounty  and  one 
hundred  acres  of   land  formerly  granted,  the  Congress 

15 


226  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [177«. 

expect  will  be  the  means  of  engaging  the  troops  to  serve 
during  the  war."  ^ 

But  "  there  is  a  material  difference,"  wrote  Wash- 
ington, "  between  voting  battalions  and  raising 
men."^  The  enthusiasm  with  which  the  war 
began  had  been  materially  dampened  by  hard- 
ships, disappointments,  and  reverses.  Men  no 
longer  felt  implicit  confidence  in  the  wisdom  of 
Congress.  There  were  already  serious  doubts 
about  public  credit,  and  the  paper  money  which 
was  putting  it  to  so  severe  a  test.  Individual 
interests  were  fast  resuming  their  control,  and 
gaining  a  fatal  supremacy  over  that  devotion  to 
the  general  interest  with  which  the  war  began. 
Men  of  capital  were  thinking  again  of  their  specu- 
lations and  investments ;  and  the  laborers,  both  in 
town  and  country,  the  mechanics  and  farmers,  men 
by  whom  the  ranks  of  the  army  should  have  been 
filled,  were  looking  enviously  upon  the  sudden 
gains  of  privateersmen,  and  the  apparent  ease  with 
which  large  fortunes  were  made  with  little  work. 
"  The  officers,"  wrote  Lee,  "  and  indeed  it  must 
necessarily  be  so,  are  of  opinion  that  nothing  im- 
pedes the  recruiting  of  the  army  so  much  as  the 
present  rage  for  privateering ;  that,  unless  this  is  in 
some  measure  checked,  it  is  in  vain  to  expect  any 
success."^  Indeed,  it  was  difficult  even  for  the 
officers  to  look  at  these  sudden  fortunes  without 

1  Bartlett,  R.  I.  Records, Vol.  VIII.         »  Lee  to  Governor  Cooke,  Bartlctt, 
p.  31.  R.  I.  Records,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  55. 

2  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p.  131. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  227 

remembering  that  they  also  had  families  to  pro- 
vide for.  "  This  fall,"  writes  Greene  in  the  letter 
from  which  I  just  now  quoted,  "  is  the  golden  har- 
vest. I  think  the  fishing-ships  at  the  eastward 
may  be  objects  of  attention  this  fall.  In  the 
spring,  the  East  India  ships  may  be  intercepted  on 
the  coast  of  Africa.  Were  I  at  liberty,  I  think 
that  I  could  make  a  fortune  for  my  family.  But  it 
is  necessary  for  some  to  be  in  the  field  to  secure 
the  property  of  others  in  their  stores." 

Another  subject  that  weighed  heavily  upon  his 
mind  at  this  period  was  the  condition  of  the  sick ; 
for  here,  as  on  Long  Island,  there  were  serious  dif- 
ferences between  the  general  hospital  and  the 
regimental  hospitals,  and  the  consequences  fell 
heavily  upon  the  poor  soldier.  After  struggling 
with  it  awhile,  he  laid  the  whole  matter  before 
Congress  in  a  letter  of  the  10th  of  October,  to  the 
President :  — 

"  The  sick  of  the  army,  who  are  under  the  care  of  the 
regimental  surgeon,  are  in  a  most  wretched  condition  ; 
the  surgeons  being  without  the  least  article  of  medicine 
to  assist  Nature  in  her  efforts  for  the  recovery  of  health. 
There  is  no  circumstance  that  strikes  a  greater  damp 
upon  the  spirits  of  the  men  who  are  yet  well  tlian  the 
miserable  condition  the  sick  are  in.  They  exhibit  a 
spectacle  shocking  to  human  feelings,  and,  as  the  knowl- 
edge of  their  distress  spreads  through  the  country,  will 
prove  an  insurmountable  obstacle  to  the  recruiting  the 
new  army. 

"  Good  policy  as  well  as  humanity,  in  my  humble 
opinion,  demands  the  immediate  attention  of  Congress 


228  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

upon  this  subject,  that  the  evil  may  be  sought  out,  and 
the  grievance  redressed.  Tiie  sick  in  the  army  are  too 
numerous  to  be  all  accommodated  on  the  contracted  plan 
of  the  general  hospital.  The  Director-General  says  he 
has  no  authority  by  his  commission  to  supply  the  demand 
of  the  regimental  sick ;  and,  the  general  hospital  being 
too  small  to  accommodate  much  more  than  one  lialf,  the 
remainder  lies  without  any  means  of  relief  than  the  value 
of  the  rations  allowed  to  every  soldier.  Many  hundreds 
are  now  in  this  condition,  and  die  daily  for  want  of 
proper  assistance ;  by  which  means  the  army  is  robbed  of 
many  valuable  men  at  a  time  when  a  reinforcement  is  so 
exceedingly  necessary.  Both  officers  and  men  join  in  one 
general  complaint,  and  are  greatly  disgusted  at  this  evil, 
which  has  prevailed  so  long.  Some  measures  should  be 
taken  to  justify  the  Director-General,  or  to  empower  the 
Commander-in-chief  to  qualify  him,  to  furnish  the  regi- 
mental surgeons,  under  the  direction  of  the  colonel  of 
the  regiment,  with  such  supplies  as  the  state  of  the  sick 
may  demand. 

"  Great  complaints  have  been  made  that  the  regimental 
surgeons  abuse  their  trust,  and  embezzle  the  regimental 
stores  committed  to  their  care  ;  this,  among  others,  is  a 
reason  urged  why  the  regimental  sick  suffer  as  they  do. 
The  surgeons,  it  has  been  said,  cannot  be  trusted  with  the 
necessary  stores. 

"  Whether  this  complaint  be  well  or  ill  founded,  I  am 
not  a  judge  of;  perhaps  in  some  few  instances  it  may  have 
been  the  case,  but  I  am  far  from  thinking  they  are  de- 
serving the  charge  in  general ;  besides  which,  the  injury 
arising  from  a  few  abuses  of  this  kind,  were  they  even 
more  common,  is  trifling  compared  with  that  which  the 
army  and  public  suffers  in  the  present  state  of  things. 

"  The  Director-General  complains  of  the  want  of  medi- 
cine, and  says  his  stocks  are  but  barely  sufficient  for  the 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  229 

general  hospital.  I  can  see  no  reason,  either  from  policy 
or  humanity,  that  the  stores  for  the  general  hospital 
should  be  preserved  for  contingencies  which  may  never 
happen,  and  the  present  regimental  sick  left  to  perish  for 
want  of  proper  necessaries.  It  is  wholly  immaterial,  in 
my  opinion,  either  to  the  States  or  the  army,  whether  a 
man  dies  in  the  general  or  regimental  liospital. 

"  The  platform  of  the  general  hospital  should  be  large 
enough  to  receive  all  the  sick  that  are  unfit  to  continue  in 
quarters,  or  else  to  supply  the  regimental  hospitals  with 
such  medicines  and  necessaries  as  the  state  of  the  sick 
requires. 

"  P.  S.  I  do  not  mean  to  censure  the  conduct  of  the 
Director-General,  nor  to  complain  of  his  activity  ;  but  I 
mean  to  point  out  the  defect  of  the  present  establishment, 
and  to  sliow  the  necessity  of  giving  the  Director  some  fur- 
ther power,  and  much  more  assistance,  to  enable  him  to 
supply  the  numerous  wants." 

But  already,  the  day  before  this  letter  was  writ- 
ten, Congress  had  resolved,  — 

"  That  no  regimental  hospitals  be,  for  the  future,  al- 
lowed in  the  neighborhood  of  the  general  hospital. 

"  That  John  Morgan,  Esq.,  provide  and  superintend  an 
hospital,  at  a  proper  distance  from  the  camp,  for  the  army 
posted  on  the  east  side  of  Hudson's  River. 

"  That  William  Shippen,  Jr.,  Esq.,  provide  and  super- 
intend an  hospital  for  the  army  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey. 

"  Tliat  each  of  the  hospitals  be  supplied  by  the  respec- 
tive directors  with  such  a  number  of  surgeons,  apotheca- 
ries, surgeon's  mates,  and  other  assistants,  and  also  such 
quantities  of  medicines,  beddings,  and  other  necessaries,  as 
they  shall  judge  expedient." 

Weekly  returns  to  Congress  and  to    the  Com- 


230  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

mander-in-chief  were  also  ordered,  and  the  regi- 
mental surgeons  directed  to  send  to  the  general 
hospital  such  of  their  sick  as  required  "  nurses  or 
constant  attendance,"  and  also  "  to  apply  to  the 
directors  in  their  respective  departments  for  medi- 
cines and  other  necessaries,"^  On  the  loth,  when 
Greene's  letter  was  read,  it  was  referred  to  the 
Medical  Committee. 

But  the  subject  which  recurred  oftenest  to  his 
mind  in  these  anxious  days  was  the  new  army,  and 
more  especially  the  choice  of  officers.  Governor 
Cooke,  on  receiving  the  call  of  Congress  for  Rhode 
Island's  quota  of  two  battalions,  wrote  to  Wash- 
ington for  a  list  of  the  officers  whom  he  wished  to 
recommend  for  promotion,  and  to  Greene  to  "give 
every  information  and  assistance  relating  to  it  in 
his  power."  ^ 

"  The  anxiety  I  felt  for  the  honor  of  the  State,"  writes 
Greene  on  the  l(3th  from  Washington's  head-quarters, 
"  and  the  good  of  the  cause,  made  me  anticipate  your 
wishes  relative  to  recommendations. 

"  I  had  made  a  collection  of  the  officers  belonging  to  the 
tliree  Rhode  Island  regiments,  and  delivered  it  in  to  liis 
Excellency  General  Washington,  to  be  forwarded  to  your 
State.  That  recommendation  and  arrangement  of  officers 
is  the  best  that  I  could  make  or  recommend  to  the  General, 
all  circumstances  considered.  The  State  will  act  their 
pleasure  with  respect  to  the  appointment.  The  General 
only  wishes  to  have  good  men,  such  as  will  discharge  their 
duty  in  every  point  of  view,  and  maintain  the  character  of 

1  Journals  of  Congress,   Wcdnes-        ^  Bartlett,  R.  I.  Records,  Vol.  VIII. 
day,  Oct.  9,  1776.  pp.  30,  .31. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  231 

gentlemen  ;  he  has  no  attachment  to  any  person  farther 
than  his  merit  recommends  him.  Men  of  merit  he  wishes 
to  be  appointed,  whether  in  or  out  of  the  army." 

Greene's  recommendation,  when  it  was  made 
known  a  few  weeks  later,  "  threw  the  officers,"  if 
Lee  may  be  trusted,  "  into  a  great  flame  of  discon- 
tent  They  accused  him  of  partiality  to  his 

connections  and  townsmen,  to  the  prejudice  of  men 
of  manifestly  superior  merit."  -^  But  as  his  only 
connections  in  the  army  were  his  brother-in-law, 
William  Littlefield,  the  captain  of  his  guard,  whom 
he  recommended  for  a  lieutenancy,  and  who,  after 
serving  honorably  through  the  war,  was  retained 
on  the  peace  establishment  long  after  its  close  ; 
and  Christopher  Greene  and  Samuel  Ward,  who 
had  already  distinguished  themselves  by  their  at- 
tention to  the  instruction  and  discipline  of  their 
men  in  the  camp  before  Boston,  and  their  fortitude 
and  intrepidity  in  the  expedition  against  Quebec, 
and  became  still  more  distinguished,  in  the  autumn 
of  the  following  year,  by  their  gallant  defence  of 
Red  Bank,  —  his  family  attachments  had  a  very  nar- 
row field  to  act  in,  and  were  fully  justified  by  the 
character  of  their  objects.  And  as  this  part  of  the 
accusation  was  so  utterly  unfounded,  it  is  not  un- 
reasonable to  suppose  that  there  was  no  better 
foundation  for  the  other.  Lee's  letter  was  written 
three  days  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Washington,  when, 
judging  by  his   own  standard,  he   may  have   sup- 

1  Lee  to  Washington,  Sparks's  Correspondence  of  the  Revolution,  Vol. 
L  p.  306. 


232  LIFE    OF    NATII.\>'AEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

posed  Wasliington's  confidence  in  Greene's  judg- 
ment to  have  been  materially  shaken,  and,  following 
his  own  bad  instincts,  may  not  have  been  unwilling 
to  extend  the  unfavorable  opinion  to  Greene's 
motives.  lie  had  returned  from  the  South,  on  the 
14th  of  October,  with  a  head  dizzy  with  success, 
and  a  heart  rankling  with  jealousy.  During  the 
few  hours  that  he  had  passed  at  Fort  Constitution, 
on  his  way  to  head-quarters,  he  had  found  time  to 
write  —  at  Greene's  desk,  perhaps  —  a  letter  to 
Gates,  condemning  the  position  of  the  army  as 
"  execrable  "  ;  calling  Congress  "  cattle,  that  stum- 
ble every  step " ;  blaming  Washington  for  not 
threatening  them  with  resignation  for  their  inter- 
ference with  the  army ;  and  calling  loudl}'-  for  a 
separate  army  upon  the  Delaware,  or,  in  other 
words,  an  independent  command  for  himself.^  In 
September,  an  officer  had  wTitten  from  New  York, 
"  General  Lee  is  hourly  expected,  as  if  from  heaven, 
with  a  le2:ion  of  flamino-  swordsmen."  "  You  ask," 
writes  Tilghman  to  Duer  in  October,  "if  General 
Lee  is  in  health,  and  if  our  people  feel  bold.  I 
answer  both  in  the  affirmative.  His  appearance 
among  us  has  not  contributed  a  little  to  the 
latter."  ^  Four  daj's  after  his  arrival,  the  name 
of  Fort  Constitution  was  changed  to  Fort  Lee, 
in  commemoration  of  his  successful  defence  of 
Charleston.  Lee  was  not  the  man,  either  in 
heart  or  in  head,  to  listen  to  such  admiration  long 

1  Force,   American    Archives,    5th        ^  Force,  u<  sup.,  pp.  197-1095. 
Series,  Vol.  II.  pp.  1008,  1034. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  233 

without  conceiving  unfounded  hoj)es,  even  if  he  did 
not  form  unwarrantable  designs.  But,  whatever 
the  nature  or  extent  of  his  wishes  may  have  been, 
he  looked  upon  this  as  a  fsxvorable  moment  for 
aiming  a  blow  at  Greene,  and  seized  it  with  char- 
acteristic malevolence. 

I  am  anticipating  events  by  a  few  weeks  :  but,  to 
make  an  end  of  this  unpleasant  part  of  my  narrative, 
I  will  add  now,  that  Lee  was  greatly  deceived  in 
his  calculations.  Washington's  confidence,  not  easily 
won,  was  still  less  easily  shaken ;  and  the  Legisla- 
ture of  Rhode  Island,  accepting  his  recommenda- 
tion, appointed  the  officers  whom  Greene  had 
selected.  Varnum,  as  he  had  suggested,  was  com- 
plimented with  a  renewal  of  his  commission,  and, 
not  long  after,  being  appointed  to  a  brigade,  left 
the  colonelcy  of  his  battalion  vacant,  as  had  been 
originally  intended,  for  his  old  Major  of  the  Army 
of  Observation,  Christopher  Greene. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Howe  in  Motion.  —  Greene  to  Washington.  —  Expedition  to  Staten 
Island.  —  Called  to  Council  at  Head-quarters.  —  Letters,  and  Ex- 
tracts from  Letters. — Foreshadowings  of  the  Quartermaster-Gen- 
eral.—  Greene's  Troops.  —  The  Passage  of  the  Hudson.  —  Letters 
to  Cons:ress  and  General  Mifflin. 


D 


TT  seemed  very  strange  then,  and  seems  very 
^  foolish  now,  that  Sir  William  Howe,  after  taking 
possession  of  New  York,  on  the  loth  of  September, 
should  have  waited  till  the  12th  of  October  before 
he  again  put  his  army  in  motion.  "  Our  army  are 
now  so  strongly  fortified,  and  so  much  out  of  the 
command  of  the  shipping,  we  have  little  more  to 
fear  this  campaign,"  writes  Greene.  With  a  well- 
organized  army,  this  would  have  been  true ;  but 
public  opinion  in  England  demanded  another  vic- 
tory ;  and  Howe,  with  forces  superior  in  numbers, 
equipments,  and  discipline,  was  determined  to  win 
it.  Could  he  get  in  the  rear  of  the  Americans, 
and  cut  off  their  retreat,  they  would  be  compelled 
either  to  fight  at  a  disadvantage,  or  lay  down  their 
arms.  A  trial  of  skill  was  evidently  at  hand,  and 
perhaps  a  trial  of  strength  also.  Greene  longed 
for  a  part  in  the  struggle.  "  I  am  informed,"  he 
writes  on  the  12th  at  five  in  the  afternoon,  "a  large 
body  of  the  enemy's  troops  have  landed  at  Frogg's 


1776.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  235 

Point.  If  SO,  I  suppose  that  the  troops  here  will 
be  wanted  there.  I  have  three  brigades  in  readi- 
ness to  reinforce  you.  General  Clinton's  brigade 
will  march  first,  General  Nixon's  next,  and  then  the 
troops  under  command  of  General  Roberdeau.  I 
don't  apprehend  any  danger  from  this  quarter  at 
present.  If  the  force  on  your  side  are  insufficient, 
I  hope  these  three  brigades  may  be  ordered  over, 
and  I  with  them,  and  leave  General  Irvine's  brig- 
ade to  guard  the  post.  If  the  troops  are  wanted 
over  3'our  side,  or  likely  to  be,  in  the  morning,  they 
should  be  got  over  in  the  latter  part  of  the  night, 
as  the  shipping  may  move  up  from  below,  and  im- 
pede, if  not  totally  stop,  the  troops  from  passing. 
I  wait  your  Excellency's  further  commands.  Should 
be  glad  to  know  where  the  enemy  has  landed,  and 
their  numbers."  "  The  bearer  will  be  put  imme- 
diately over  the  ferry,"  says  an  indorsement  on  the 
envelope,  signed  "  W.  Blodget,  Aide-de-ccmij)." 

Part  of  the  troops  were  called  over,  but  Greene 
was  not ;  and,  unwilling  to  remain  an  inactive  spec- 
tator of  the  contest,  he  undertook  to  alarm  the 
British  General  for  the  safety  of  his  posts  on  Staten 
Island.  "  The  tents  on  Staten  Island  have  been  all 
struck,  as  far  as  discovery  has  been  made,"  he  says 
in  a  postscript  to  his  letter  of  the  12th;  and,  act- 
ing upon  this,  he  planned  an  attack  upon  the  post 
at  Richmond  with  a  detachment  of  Mercer's  men, 
and  was  already  within  a  few  miles  of  it  by  eleven 
in  the  evening  of  the  15th,  when  orders  from 
Washington  reached  him,  calling  him  immediately 


236  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  L1776. 

to  Harlem.  Mercer  held  on  towards  the  enemy, 
and  succeeded  m  surprising  a  party,  and  securing 
twenty  prisoners.  "  Well-disciplined  troops,"  he 
writes,  "  would  have  taken  the  whole,  without  the 
loss  of  a  man."  ^ 

The  cause  of  Greene's  sudden  summons  to  head- 
quarters was  the  council  which  had  been  called  for 
the  next  day  —  the  IGth  —  at  Lee's  quarters.  This 
is  the  council  in  which  it  was  determined,  after 
"  much  consideration  and  debate,"  and  with  only 
one  dissenting  voice,  —  Clinton's,  —  to  evacuate 
York  Island,  but  "  retain  Fort  Washing^ton  as  lono: 
as  possible."  Greene,  as  the  official  minutes  show/ 
was  not  present  at  the  council,  and  could  not, 
therefore,  have  taken  that  part  in  the  discussion 
which  Gordon  attributes  to  him.^  At  what  time 
he  reached  head-quarters  is  uncertain ;  but  on  the 
17th  he  writes  from  thence  to  Governor  Cooke, 
"  General  Howe  has  landed  at  Frogg's  Point,  a 
place  a  few  miles  east  of  Hell  Gate ;  he  is  collect- 
ing his  force  together  at  that  place,  with  a  view  to 
cut  off  our  retreat.  His  Excellency  is  making  an 
arrangement  to  counteract  him.  The  troops  ap- 
pear to  be  in  good  spirits ;  and  I  am  in  hopes,  if 
Howe  attacks  us,  he  will  meet  with  a  defeat.  A 
battle  is  daily  —  nay,  hourly  —  expected.  I  shall 
come  in  for  no  share  of  the  honor  or  glory  of  the 
day  if  victorious,  nor  shame  or  disgrace  if  defeated, 

1  Force,  American    Archives,   5th        '  Gordon,    American    Revolution, 
Series,  Vol.  II.  pp.  107.3-1093.  Vol.  II.  p.  338. 

'  See  Minutes,  in  Force,  ut  sup., 
p.  1117. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  237 

my  command  being  in  New  Jersey.  Howe's  de- 
signs, evidently,  appear  to  be  to  get  in  our  rear  to 
cut  off  our  supplies,  and  starve  the  army  out. 
This  reduces  us  to  the  necessity  of  extending  our 
left  wing  out  in  the  country,  to  preserve  our  com- 
munications with  the  country  from  whence  we  get 
our  support.  A  few  days  may  produce  some  events 
important  to  the  American  interest.  I  was  on 
Staten  Island  night  before  last;  the  greater  part 
of  the  British  troops  and  the  Hessians  are  drawn 
off  to  support  General  Howe's  operations  at  Frogg's 
Point." 

An  incident,  trifling  in  itself,  but  interesting  as 
illustrative  of  the  times,  shows  that  he  was  at  his 
own  quarters  again  some  time  in  the  course  of  the 
17th.  William  Bradford,  Adjutant  of  Hitchcock's 
regiment,  had  brought  off  from  Long  Island  "  at 
very  great  risk,"  a  horse  belonging  to  Jacob 
Wycoff,  an  avowed  Tory ;  and  which,  but  for  Brad- 
ford's energy,  would  have  ftillen  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy.  What  was  to  be  done  with  the  horse, 
and  how  was  the  Adjutant  to  be  rewarded?  "As 
property  belonging  to  Tories  is  not,  nor  ought  not 
to  be,  the  reward  of  those  that  takes  it  into  pos- 
session, only  under  certain  limitations,"  Greene 
writes  to  the  New  York  Convention  on  the  17th, 
"  I  think  it  my  duty  to  acquaint  you  that  I  have 
the  horse  in  my  possession,  and  shall  be  deliv- 
ered to  your  order,  either  to  the  Adjutant,  as  a 
reward  for  his  bravery,  or  to  be  sold  for  the 
benefit  of  the  State,  as  you  may  think  proper.     If 


238  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1776. 

the  horse  is  to  be  sold,  I  should  be  glad  of  an 
opportunity  to  purchase  him,  as  I  am  in  want  of  a 
horse,  mine  being  -worn  out  in  the  service."  The 
Convention  requested  him  to  have  the  horse  ap- 
praised, and  keep  him  "  in  your  service  until  some 
future  determination  of  the  Convention,  or  future 
Legislature  of  this  State,  relative  to  the  disposition 
of  the  property  of  all  such  persons  as  have  or 
hereafter  may  join  the  enemy  that  may  fall  into 
our  hands.  The  bravery  of  the  Adjutant  will  then 
also  be  considered."  ^ 

When  Washington  selected  Greene  for  the  com- 
mand which  controlled  his  communications  with 
the  seat  of  government,  he  evidently  felt  the  ne- 
cessity of  having  a  man  in  it  whom  he  could  call 
upon  with  confidence  for  other  duties  besides  those 
of  watching  the  enemy  or  leading  men  to  battle. 
New  duties  —  shadows  from  the  Quartermaster- 
General's  department  —  begin  to  fall  upon  his  path. 

"  I  was  at  head-quarters  near  King's  Bridge  with  his 
Excellency  General  Washington  last  night,"  he  writes  the 
President  of  Congress  on  the  20th,  from  Camp  Fort  Lee 
(lately  Fort  Constitution),  "  and,  on  leaving  him,  was  de- 
sired to  send  by  express  to  acquaint  you  that  the  army  are 
in  great  want  of  a  large  supply  of  cartridges,  which  no 
person  can  be  spared  to  make  ;  therefore  he  requests  that 
you  will  order  all  that  are  now  made  up  at  Philadelphia 
to  be  sent  forward  in  light  wagons  that  can  travel  with 
great  despatch,  as  they  are  really  very  much  wanted  ;  and, 
as  none  can  be  made  up  here,  that  persons  be  employed 

1  Force,  American  Archives,  5th  Series,  Vol.  III.  p.  251. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  239 

at  Philadelphia  to  continue  at  that  business  to  furnish  a 
full  supply  for  the  army. 

"  Mr.  Commissary  Lowry  is  in  great  want  of  a  supply 
of  salt,  which  he  begs  may  be  sent  to  Trenton,  to  enable 
him  to  furnish  provisions  for  the  army  at  King's  Bridge, 
which  are  much  wanted,  and  the  supplies  from  Con- 
necticut may  shortly  be  cut  off;  and  I  have  great  reason 
to  apprehend  the  evil  will  soon  take  place,  if  not  wholly, 
in  part.  The  article  of  salt  is  essentially  necessary,  and 
must  be  procured  if  possible.  Fresh  provisions  cannot  be 
passed  over  without  great  difficulty,  and'  the  state  of 
health  of  the  troops,  from  a  laxed  habit,  requires  a  supply 
of  salt.  Mr.  Lowry  mentions  the  Council  of  Safety  of 
Pennsylvania  having  a  quantity." 

Congress  responds  promptly  to  the  call. 

"  Enclosed  you  have  a  copy,"  he  writes  to  Washington 
on  the  24th,  "  of  the  letter  in  answer  to  mine  to  Congress 
relative  to  cartridges.  As  soon  as  the  cartridges  come 
up,  they  shall  be  forwarded.  Colonel  Biddle  has  written 
to  Amboy  for  ninety  thousand  that  are  at  that  post. 

"  We  have  collected  all  the  wagons  in  our  power,  and 
sent  over.  Our  people  have  had  extreme  hard  duty. 
The  common  guards,  common  fatigue,  and  the  extraor- 
dinary guards  and  extraordinary  fatigue,  for  the  removal 
of  the  stores  and  forwarding  the  provisions,  has  kept  every 
man  on  duty. 

"  General  Putnam  requested  a  party  of  men  to  rein- 
force them  at  Mount  Washington.  I  sent  between  two 
and  three  hundred  of  Colonel  Durkee's  regiment.  Please 
to  inform  me  whether  your  Excellency  approves  thereof. 

"  We  shall  get  a  sufficient  quantity  of  provisions  over 
to-day  for  the  garrison  at  Fort  Washington.  General 
Mifflin  thinks  it  not  advisable  to  pull  the  barracks  down 


240  LIFE    OF   NATUAX^VEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

yet.  He  has  hopes  of  our  army  returning  to  that  ground 
for  winter  quarters. ^  I  think  this  would  be  running  too 
great  a  risk  to  leave  them  standing  in  expectation  of  such 
an  event,  tiiere  being  several  strong  fortifications  in  and 
about  King's  Bridge.  If  the  enemy  should  throw  in 
a  thousand  or  fifteen  hundred  men,  they  could  cut  off  our 
communication  effectually ;  and,  as  the  state  of  the  bar- 
racks are,  they  would  find  exceeding  good  cover  for  the 
men.  But  if  we  were  to  take  tiie  barracks  down,  if 
the  boards  were  not  removed,  it  would  in  a  great  meas- 
ure deprive  them  of  that  advantage.  However,  I  have 
not  had  it  in  my  power  to  do  either  as  yet. 

"  I  have  directed  all  the  wagons  that  are  on  the  other 
side  to  be  employed  in  picking  up  the  scattered  boards 
about  the  encampments.  I  believe,  from  what  I  saw  yes- 
terday in  riding  over  the  ground,  tiiey  will  amount  to 
many  thousands.  As  soon  as  we  have  got  these  together, 
I  purpose  to  begin  upon  the  barracks.  In  the  mean  time 
should  be  glad  to  know  if  your  Excellency  has  any  other 
orders  to  give  respecting  the  business. 

"  I  have  directed  the  Commissary  and  Quartermaster- 
General  of  this  department  to  lay  in  provisions  and  prov- 
ender upon  the  back  road  to  Philadelphia,  for  twenty 
thousand  men  for  three  months.  The  principal  magazine 
will  be  at  Aquackanonck.  I  shall  fortify  it  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  secure  that  post  and  the  passes  to  the  bridge, 
which  is  now  repaired,  and  fit  for  an  army  to  pass  over 
with  the  baggage  and  artillery. 

*'  I  rejoice  to  hear  of  the  defeat  of  that  vile  traitor,  Major 
Rogers,  and  his  party  of  Tories,  though  I  am  exceeding 

1  "I  found  little  Mifflin,"  said  Lee  army  still  in  the  field  !     Go  set  fire 

to  Wilkinson,  "  exulting  in  the  pros-  to  those  you  have  built,  and  get  away 

pect  of  fine  winter  quarters  at  King's  by  the  lijrlit,  or  Sir  William  Howe 

Bridge.     I  replied   to  him:  '  W'iriUr  will  f.nl  quarters  for  you.'"  —  Wil- 

quartcrs  here,   Sir?  and   the  British  kin.son's  Memoirs,  Vol.  I.  p.  103. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  241 

sorry  to  hear   it   lost   us  so  brave  an  officer  as  Major 
Greene." 

Bear  in  mind,  as  you  read  these  details  about 
scattered  boards,  and  find  him  so  attentive  to  little 
things,  how  sorely  our  army  was  suffering  for  want 
of  suitable  arms  and  covering,  and  see,  as  you  will 
further  on,  how  the  public  property  was  scattered 
and  lost,  and  you  will  feel  the  importance  as  well 
as  the  rarity  of  this  watchfulness.  Henceforth  his 
life  is  filled  with  such  thino-s  ;  one  great  care  with  a 
multitude  of  lesser  cares  grouped  around  it.  Ob- 
serve, too,  how  carefully  he  reports  every  measure 
to  Washington  for  approval  or  correction. 

His  own  force  on  the  26th  amounted  to  two 
thousand  one  hundred  and  forty-six  men  of  all 
arms,  present  and  fit  for  duty.  Irvine's  was  the 
only  one  of  his  original  brigades  that  was  left  him  ; 
Eoberdeau's  having  taken  the  place  of  Nixon's  and 
Clinton's,  and  McCallister's  and  Cloty's  regiments 
that  of  Bradley's  and  Dey's.  These,  too,  were  days 
of  intense  anxiety  ;  and  long  and  frequent  were  his 
gazings,  from  his  lookout  on  the  crest  of  the  Pali- 
sades, up  and  down  the  broad  and  deep  river  that 
flowed  at  their  feet,  and  on  the  imperilled  works 
that  crowned  its  eastern  bank.  As  the  British 
army  advanced,  the  "  Whig  families  were  seen  hur- 
rying unprotected  before  them,  with  their  clothing 
and  a  scanty  supply  of  provisions,  to  seek  shelter 
for  the  coming  winter,  they  knew  not  where."  ^ 
Sights  like  these  were  harder  to  bear  than  the  hor- 

1  Tompkins's  Address,  in  Bolton's  "  Westchester,"  Vol.  II.  p.  373. 
16 


242  LIFE    OF   NATUANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

rors  of  the  battle-field,  for  they  met  the  eye  when 
the  blood  was  cool,  and  the  mhid  free  to  take  note 
of  them  in  all  their  painful  reality. 

Meanwhile  his  own  regular  work  went  steadily 
on.  Soon  after  the  opening  of  the  campaign,  ef- 
forts had  been  made  to  close  the  passage  of  the 
river  by  means  of  chevaux-de-frise  and  sunken 
vessels.  "  I  am  fully  of  opinion,"  wrote  Washington 
on  the  8th  of  September,  "  that  by  the  establishing 
of  strong  posts  at  Mount  Washington,  on  the  upper 
part  of  this  island,  and  on  the  Jersey  side  opposite 
to  it,  with  the  assistance  of  the  obstructions  already 
made,  and  which  may  be  improved  in  the  water, 
not  only  the  navigation  of  Hudson's  River,  but 
an  easier  and  better  communication  may  be  effect- 
ually secured  between  the  Northern  and  Southern 
States."  ^ 

•  When  these  lines  were  written,  several  ships  had 
already  passed  up  the  river,  in  spite  of  the  obstruc- 
tions ;  and  from  time  to  time  others  continued 
to  pass  them,  although  they  had  been  further 
strengthened  by  sinldng  other  vessels.  Early  in 
October  three  frigates  went  up  apparently  un- 
harmed, a  "  gentleman  on  board  one  of  them  walk- 
ing the  second  deck,  seemingly  in  command,  as  if 
nothing  was  the  matter,  and  seven  forts  keeping  a 
constant  fire  at  the  ships."  ^  Still,  on  several  occa- 
sions, shot  had  been  seen  to  strike  ;  and  great  care,  it 

1  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p.  82  ;  and  for  a  Series,   Vol.  II.   p.  1025;    letter   of 

description  of  the  obstructions.  Heath,  Thomas    Erving  to    the    Maryland 

pp.  47,  43.  Committee  of  Safety. 

-  Force,   American  Archives,   5th 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  243 

was  observed,  was  taken  to  keep  the  men,  as  far  as 
possible,  below  out  of  harm's  way  ;  and  in  August, 
before  Fort  Constitution  was  built,  the  "Phoenix" 
and  "  Eose,"  in  running  down,  kept  close  under  the 
western  shore,  to  avoid  the  well-directed  fire  from 
Fort  Washington  and  the  works  below.^  It  was  evi- 
dent that,  if  the  passage  could  not  be  absolutely 
prevented,  it  might,  at  least,  be  rendered  extremely 
hazardous. 

I  "  This  being  a  critical  hour,"  Greene  writes  to  the  Pres- 
ident of  Congress  on  the  28th  of  October,  "  when  the  hopes 
and  fears  of  the  country  and  city  are  continually  alarmed, 
and  yesterday  there  being  a  considerable  heavy  cannon- 
ade most  part  of  the  day,  I  have  thought  it  advisable  to 
forward  an  express  with  the  account  of  the  action  of  the 
day.  The  communication  between  this  and  the  grand 
division  of  the  army  is  in  great  measure  cut  off ;  there- 
fore it  will  be  some  time  before  you  have  any  account 
from  his  Excellency  General  Washington. 

"  A  ship  moved  up  the  river  early  in  the  morning, 
above  our  lower  lines,  right  opposite  to  Fort  No.  1,  near 
old  head-quarters  at  Morris's.  She  began  a  brisk  can- 
nonade upon  the  shore.  Colonel  Magaw,  who  commands 
at  Fort  Washington,  got  down  an  eighteen-pounder  and 
fired  sixty  rounds  at  her  ;  twenty-six  went  through  her. 
The  gun  was  mostly  loaded  with  two  balls.  She  was  an- 
noyed considerably  by  two  eighteen-pounders  from  this 
shore.  The  confusion  and  distress  that  appeared  on 
board  the  ship  exceeds  all  description.  Without  doubt 
she  lost  a  great  number  of  men.  She  was  towed  off  by 
four  boats  sent  from  the  other  ships  to  her  assistance  ; 
she  slipped  her  cable,  and  left  her  anchor.     Had  the  tide 

1  Heath,  p.  54. 


244  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

run  flood  one  half-hour  longer,  we  should  have  sunk  her. 
At  the  same  time  the  fire  from  tlie  ships  began,  the  enemy 
brought  up  their  field-pieces,  and  made  a  disposition  to 
attack  the  lines,  but  Colonel  Magaw  had  so  happily  dis- 
posed and  arranged  iiis  men  as  to  put  them  out  of  conceit 
of  that  manoeuvre. 

"  A  cannonade  and  fire  with  small-arms  continued  al- 
most all  day  with  very  little  intermission.  We  lost  one 
man  only.  Several  of  the  enemy  were  killed  ;  two  or 
three  our  people  got  and  brought  off  the  field,  and  sev- 
eral more  were  left  there.  The  firing  ceased  last  evening, 
and  has  not  been  renewed  this  morning. 

"  General  Washington  and  General  Howe  are  very 
near  neighbors.  Some  decisive  stroke  is  hourly  expected. 
God  grant  it  may  be  a  happy  one  !  The  troops  are  in 
good  spirits,  and  in  every  engagement  since  the  retreat 
from  New  York  have  given  the  enemy  a  drubbing." 

Part  of  this  description  had  found  a  place  in  a 
letter  of  the  preceding  day  to  General  Mifilin,  and 
it  is  impossible  to  mistake  the  cheerful  undertone 
which  runs  throuo;li  both  letters. 

"  By  Major  Howell  you  will  receive  one  hundred  and 
nineteen  thousand  musket  cartridges.  Part  arrived  to- 
day and  part  last  night.  As  soon  as  the  remainder  comes 
up  from  Amboy  and  Philadelphia,  they  shall  be  sent  for- 
ward. 1  have  been  to  view  the  roads  again,  and  fixed 
upon  Aquackanonck,  Springfield,  Bound  Brook,  Prince- 
towji,  and  Trentown,  to  establish  the  magazines  at  Tren- 
town  and  Aquackanonck  to  be  the  principal  ones,  the 
others  only  to  serve  to  support  the  troops  in  passing  from 
one  to  the  other.  They  are  all  inland  posts,  and  I  hope 
the  stores  will  be  secure.  I  have  ordered  all  the  cannon 
from  Amboy,  except  two  eighteen-pounders  and  two  field- 


1776.]  LITE    OF   NATHAX.AJEL    GEEENE.  245 

pieces.     I  have  directed  them  to  be  sent  to  Springfield, 
Bound  Brook,  and  Aquackanonck,  to  secure  the  stores. 

"  The  people  have  been  employed  on  the  other  side  in 
getting  the  boards  together  at  Fort  Washington  and  the 
ferry.  Some  have  been  brought  from  King's  Bridge. 
To-day  I  sent  up  to  Colonel  Lasher  to  know  what  assist- 
ance he  could  give  towards  taking  down  the  barracks  and 
bringing  otf  the  boards  ;  and  had  for  answer  that  he  had 
orders  to  burn  the  barracks,  quit  the  post,  and  join  the 
army  by  the  way  of  the  North  River  at  the  White  Plains. 

"  We  have  had  a  considerable  skirmish  on  York  Island 
to-day.  The  cannonade  began  in  the  morning  and  held 
until  evening,  with  very  short  intermissions.  A  ship 
moved  up  opposite  Fort  No.  1.  Colonel  Magaw  got 
down  an  eighteen-pounder,  and  fired  sixty  shot  at  her, 
twenty-six  of  which  went  into  her.  She  slipped  her  cable 
and  left  her  anchor,  and  was  towed  off  by  four  boats.  I 
think  we  must  have  killed  a  considerable  number  of  their 
men,  as  the  confusion  and  distress  exceeded  all  descrip- 
tiou.  Our  artillery  behaved  incomparably  well.  Colonel 
Magaw  is  charmed  with  their  conduct  in  firing  at  the  ship 
and  in  the  field.  I  left  the  island  at  three  o'clock  tliis 
afternoon.  We  had  lost  but  one  man  ;  he  was  killed  by 
a  shell  that  fell  upon  his  head.  We  have  brouglit  off 
some  of  the  enemy  from  the  field  of  battle,  and  more  are 
still  lying  on  the  ground  dead." 

And  here  it  may  be  well  to  observe  that,  though 
Greene  was  the  superior  officer  on  the  spot,  and 
evidently,  by  the  tone  of  his  letter,  regarded  this 
brisk  little  affair  as  a  very  creditable  one,  he  gives 
all  the  credit  of  it  to  Magaw.  Magaw  got  down 
the  eighteen-pounder.  Magaw  made  the  judicious 
distribution  of  the  troops.     Magaw  was  "  charmed 


246  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

with  tlie  conduct  (of  the  artillerymen)  in  firing  at 
the  ship  and  in  the  field."  Had  he  not  mentioned 
the  fact  of  his  leaving  the  island  at  three,  one 
would  have  supposed  that  he  was  copying  Magaw's 
report  instead  of  making  his  own.  We  shall  find 
him  still  keeping  his  own  name  in  the  background 
and  putting  other  names  forward,  when  greater 
things  than  this  were  to  be  told. 

"  I  am  anxious,"  he  continues  in  the  same  letter,  "  to 
know  the  state  of  the  troops  in  the  grand  army,  whether 
they  are  high  or  low  spirited,  whether  well  or  ill  posted, 
whether  a  battle  is  expected  or  not.  We  must  govern 
our  operations  by  yours.  The  troops  here  and  on  the 
other  side  are  in  good  spirits ;  but  I  fear  quitting  Fort 
Independence  will  oblige  Magaw  to  draw  his  forces  into 
the  garrison,  as  the  enemy  will  have  a  passage  open  upon 
his  back.  I  fear  it  will  damp  the  spirits  of  his  troops. 
He  did  not  expect  it  so  soon.  If  the  barracks  are  not 
burnt  in  the  morning,  and  the  enemy  don't  press  too  hard 
upon  us,  we  will  try  to  get  away  some  of  the  boards." 


CHAPTER    X. 

Letters  to  Washington.  —  Barracks  at  Fort  Independence  burnt.  — 
Letters  to  Washington.  — Letter  to  Mrs.  Greene.  —  John  Clark  to 
General  Greene.  —  The  Group  at  Fort  Lee.  —  Harrison  to  Greene. 

ri^HE  tide  of  war  was  slowly  turning  northward, 
-*-  drawing  as  it  rolled  on  a  thick  screen  of  wood- 
ed hills  between  Fort  Lee  and  the  main  army. 
"  Little  skirmishes,"  says  a  letter  from  Fort  Lee, 
"  happen  almost  every  day,  but  they  are  thought  so 
little  of  that  they  are  seldom  mentioned  as  news."  -^ 
Meanwhile,  Greene's  work  continues,  —  incessant 
watchfulness  for  the  present,  careful  preparation 
for  the  uncertain  continsrencies  of  the  future. 

o 

"  Enclosed,"  he  writes  Washington  on  the  29th,  "  is  an 
estimate  made  of  the  provisions  and  provender  necessary 
to  be  laid  in  at  the  different  posts  between  this  and 
Philadelphia,  to  forni  a  communication,  and  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  troops  passing  and  repassing  from  the  different 
States. 

"  Your  Excellency  will  please  to  examine  it  and  signify 
your  pleasure.  Should  the  estimate  be  larger  than  is 
necessary  for  the  consumption  of  the  army,  very  little  or 
no  loss  can  arise,  as  the  articles  will  be  laid  in  at  a  season 
when  the  prices  of  things  are  at  the  lowest  rates,  and  the 
situations  will  admit  of  an  easy  transportation  to  market 
by  water." 

1  Force,  American  Archives,  5th  Series,  Vol.  11.  p.  1239. 


248  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

See  how  the  New  England  education  crops  out 
in  this  last  sentence.  Washington  observed  it,  no 
doubt ;  and,  taking  its  place  in  his  cautious  mind  by 
the  side  of  many  previous  and  still  more  subse- 
quent observations,  it  worked  that  conviction  in 
him  which,  a  year  and  a  half  later,  led  him  to  force 
the  Quartermaster-Generalship  on  Greene's  reluc- 
tant acceptance. 

"  The  ships,"  Greene  continues,  "  have  fallen  down  the 
North  River,  and  the  troops  which  advanced  upon  Har- 
lem Plains,  and  on  the  liill  where  the  Monday's  action 
was,  have  drawn  within  their  lines  again. 

"  I  received  the  prisoners  taken,  and  have  forwarded 
them  to  Philadelphia.  1  enclose  you  a  return  of  the 
troops  at  this  post,  who  are  chiefly  raw  and  undisci- 
plined." 

Next  morning,  at  three  o'clock,  as  the  sentinel 
looked  out  from  the  rampart  of  Fort  Lee,  he  saw 
a  sudden  glare  lighting  up  the  wooded  heights  of 
Tettard's  and  Valentine's  hills,  and  casting  a  lurid 
gleam  on  the  still  waters  of  the  Spuyten  Devil. 
The  barracks  around  Fort  Independence  were  all 
ablaze.  Greene  hurried  across  the  river  to  examine 
the  ground  and  see  what  could  be  saved. 

"  Colonel  Lasher  bnrnt  the  barracks  yesterday  morning 
at  three  o'clock,"  he  writes  Wasiiington  on  the  29th  ; 
"  he  left  all  the  cannon  in  the  fort.  I  went  out  to  ex- 
amine the  ground,  and  found  between  two  and  three 
hundred  stand  of  small-arms  (that  were  out  of  repair), 
about  two  miles  beyond  King's  Bridge,  a  great  number  of 
spears,  shot,  shells,  (fee,  too    numerous  to  mention.      I 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  249 

directed  all  the  wagons  on  the  other  side  to  be  employed 
in  getting  tlie  stores  away,  and  expect  to  get  it  com- 
pleted this  morning.  I  forgot  to  mention  five  tons  of  bar 
iron  tliat  was  left.  I  am  sorry  the  barracks  were  not  left 
standing  a  few  days  longer  ;  it  would  have  given  us  an 
opportunity  to  have  got  oif  some  of  the  boards. 

"  I  think  Fort  Independence  might  have  kept  the 
enemy  at  bay  several  days,  but  the  troops  here  and  on  the 
other  side  are  so  much  fatigued  that  it  must  have  been  a 
work  of  time. 

"  Colonel  Magaw  showed  me  a  letter  from  Colonel 
Reed,  ordering  the  Rangers  to  march  and  join  the  array. 
Major  Coburn  was  wounded  in  the  Sunday  action.  Col- 
onel Magaw  says  the  Rangers  are  the  only  security  to 
his  lines.  By  keeping  out  constant  patrols,  their  ac- 
quaintance with  the  ground  enables  them  to  discover  the 
enemy's  motions  in  every  quarter.  The  Colonel  petitions 
very  hard  for  their  stay.  I  told  him  I  would  send  an  ex- 
press to  learn  your  Excellency's  further  pleasure.  The 
Colonel  thinks,  if  the  Rangers  leave  him,  he  must  draw 
the  garrison  in  from  the  lines.  That  would  be  a  pity,  as 
the  redoubts  is  not  yet  in  any  great  forwardness.  From  the 
Sunday  affair,  I  am  more  fully  convinced  that  we  can 
prevent  any  ships  from  stopping  the  communication. 

"  I  have  forwarded  eighty  thousand  musket  cartridges 
more  under  the  care  of  a  subaltern's  guard,  commanded 
by  Lieutenant  Pembleton,  of  Colonel  Railing's  regiment. 

"  This  moment  heard  of  the  action  of  yesterday.  Can 
learn  no  particulars.  God  grant  you  protection  and  suc- 
cess !  Colonel  Crawford  says  he  expects  the  action  to  be 
renewed  this  morning.  I  hope  to  be  commanded  where- 
ever  I  can  be  most  useful." 

The  enemy  were  again  within  sight,  but  it  was 
difficult  to  divine  their   intentions.      Greene  was 


250  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

beo-innin":  to  feel  anxious  about  Fort  Wasbino-ton, 
wbich,  altbough  tbe  works  were  under  the  charge 
of  General  Putnam,^  he  felt,  from  its  connection 
with  Fort  Lee,  in  some  degree  responsible  for. 

"  Tlie  enemy  have  possession  of  Fort  Independence,  on 
the  heights  al)ove  King's  Bridge,"  he  writes  to  Washing- 
ton on  the  31st.  "  Tliey  made  their  appearance  the  night 
before  last;  we  had  got  everytliing  of  value  away.  The 
bridges  are  cut  down.  I  gave  Colonel  Magaw  orders  to 
stop  the  road  between  the  mountains. 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  know  your  Excellency's  mind 
about  holding  all  the  ground  from  King's  Bridge  to  the 
lower  lines.  If  we  attempt  to  hold  the  ground,  the  gar- 
rison must  still  be  reinforced ;  but  if  the  garrison  is  only 
to  draw  into  Mount  Washington,  and  keep  that,  the  num- 
ber of  troops  is  too  large. 

"  We  are  not  able  to  determine,  with  any  certainty, 
whether  tiic  troops  that  have  taken  post  above  King's 
Bridge  are  the  same  troops  or  not  tliat  were  in  and  about 
Harlem  several  days  past.  They  disappeared  from  below 
all  at  once  ;  and  some  little  time  after,  about  fifty  boats, 
full  of  men,  were  seen  going  up  towards  Hunt's  Point ; 
and  that  evening,  the  enemy  were  discovered  at  Fort 
Independence.  We  suspect  them  to  be  the  same  troops 
that  were  engaged  in  the  Sunday  skirmish.  Six  officers, 
belonging  to  privateers  that  were  taken  by  the  enemy, 
made  their  escape  last  night.  They  inform  me  that  they 
were  taken  by  the  last  fleet  that  came  in.  Tlicy  had  about 
six  thousand  foreign  troops  on  board,  one  quarter  of  which 
had  the  black  scurvy,  and  died  very  fast. 

"  Seventy  sail  of  transports  and  ships  fell  down  to  Red 

1  Orders  of  the  day,  Ilead-quar-     Force,  American  Archives,  5th  Scries, 
tcrs,  Harlem  Heights,  Oct.  14,  1776,     Vol.  II.  p.  1118. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREEIST:.  251 

Hook.  They  were  bound  for  Rhode  Island  ;  had  on  board 
about  three  thousand  troops.  Thej  also  inform  that, 
after  the  Sunday  action,  an  officer  of  distinction  was 
brought  into  the  city,  badly  wounded. 

"  The  ships  have  come  up  the  river  to  their  station 
again,  a  little  below  their  lines.  Several  deserters  from 
Powley's  Hook  have  come  over.  They  all  report  that 
General  Howe  is  wounded,  as  did  those  from  the  fleet. 
It  appears  to  be  a  prevailing  opinion  in  the  land  and  sea 
service. 

"  I  forwarded  your  Excellency  a  return  of  the  troops 
at  this  post,  and  a  copy  of  a  plan  for  establishing  maga- 
zines. I  could  wish  to  know  your  pleasure  as  to  the  mag- 
azines as  soon  as  possible. 

"I  shall  reinforce  Colonel  Magaw  with  Colonel  Rai- 
ling's regiment,  until  I  hear  from  your  Excellency  respect- 
ing the  matter. 

"  The  motions  of  the  grand  army  will  best  determine 
the  propriety  of  endeavoring  to  hold  all  the  ground  from 
King's  Bridge  to  the  lower  lines.  I  shall  be  as  much  on 
the  Island  of  York  as  possible,  so  as  not  to  neglect  the 
duties  of  my  own  department.  I  can  learn  no  satisfactory 
account  of  the  action  of  the  other  day." 

One  of  the  questions  of  this  letter  deserves  par- 
ticular attention  :  "  I  should  be  glad  to  know  your 
Excellency's  mind  about  holding  all  the  ground 
from  King's  Bridge  to  the  lines."  We  shall  see  by 
and  by  what  Washington  answered.  The  earnest, 
watchful  soldier  paints  himself  well  in  these  let- 
ters, written  in  the  intervals  of  other  duties,  and 
making  his  daily  life,  like  Washington's,  a  ceaseless 
passing  to  and  fro  from  the  saddle  to  the  desk,  and 
from  the  desk  to  the  saddle.    The  thoughts,  too,  pass 


252  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

directly  from  hi.s  mind  to  his  paper ;  and  the  events 
and  rumors  and  conjectures  of  the  day  come  be- 
fore us,  as  they  came  before  him,  with  the  freshness 
of  a  present  existence  about  them.  But  of  the  indi- 
vidual life  —  the  husband,  the  friend,  the  man  \vho 
loved  books  and  thirsted  after  knowledo;e  —  "we 
get,  in  these  busy  days,  but  two  precious  glimpses. 
The  first  is  in  a  letter  of  the  2d  of  November  to 
his  wife  :  — 

"  I  embrace  this  opportunity  to  write  you  by  Bill  Hul- 
burt,  who  has  got  dismission  from  the  service  on  account 
of  his  ill  state  of  health.  I  am  now  very  hearty,  and  busi- 
ness enough.  I  am  separated  from  the  grand  army,  and 
can  have  no  communication  without  going  seventy  miles. 
We  had  a  little  action  on  York  Island  on  Sunday  last. 
"We  drove  the  enemy  away,  and  gave  one  of  their  ships  a 
severe  drubbing.  There  was  an  engagement  in  tlie  grand 
army,  of  one  brigade.  Our  loss  amounted  to  about  four 
hundred  killed,  wounded,  and  taken  prisoners  ;  the  ene- 
my's unknown,  but  it  is  judged  near  as  many  again  as 
ours.  Our  troops  are  in  good  spirits,  and  take  a  great 
number  of  the  enemy  by  scouting  parties.  I  hold  all  the 
ground  on  York  Island,  in  spite  of  tlie  enemy.  Colonel 
Magaw  commands  the  garrison,  —  a  fine  officer.  The 
enemy  are  at  King's  Bridge,  and  on  the  ground  where 
you  met  with  the  insult  from  the  tavern-keeper.  Colonel 
Bedford  lodges  witli  me,  and  wants  you  to  come  and  go 
to  riiiladclphia  ;  l)ut,  as  things  are,  I  can't  advise  it. 
Colonel  Biddle,  a  gentleman  from  Philadelphia,  Quarter- 
master-General, is  continually  urging  me  to  send  for  you 
to  go  to  the  city,  and  spend  some  weeks  with  his  lady. 
Were  you  here,  1  sliould  readily  agree ;  but,  as  you  are 
at  home  in  peace,  I  cannot  recommend  you  to  come  on  to 


1776.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  253 

this  troublesome  part  of  America.  Billy  is  captain  of  my 
guard.  I  have  recommended  him  to  the  Assembly  for  a 
lieutenancy  in  the  new  army.  He  lias  got  hearty  and  well 
again,  and  is  desirous  of  continuing  in  the  service.  Ma- 
jor Blodget  is  quite  fat,  and  lauglis  all  day.  Common 
Sense  (Tom  Paine)  and  Colonel  Snarl,  or  Cornwell,  are 
perpetually  wrangling  about  mathematical  problems.  Ma- 
jor Livingston  is  sick,  and  gone  home.  I  wish  you  well 
and  happy,  and  am  affectionately  yours." 

The  other  we  gain  by  a  letter  of  John  Clark, 
Jr.,  a  spirited  young  Pennsylvanian,  Major  in 
McCallister's  battalion,  who  won  so  upon  Greene's 
good  opinion  that  he  afterwards  took  him  into 
his  family  as  an  aid.  He  writes  from  Mr.  Law- 
rence's, at  Rockland,  on  the  8th  of  November, 
in  a  delicate,  lady's  hand,  that  contrasts  strangely 
with  the  military  details  that  fill  the  first  page  and 
a  half  of  his  letter  :  — 

"  I  've  ordered,"  he  says  in  the  last  half-page,  "  a  fish- 
erman to  catch  a  few  pike ;  hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of 
presenting  you  with  a  mess  very  soon.  I  thank  you  for 
your  good  advice  in  reminding  me  of  my  duty,  and  hope 
I  won't  depart  from  it,  when  1  send  you  the  fish  and  the 
service  not  injured.  Pray  tell  Major  Blodget  there  is  a 
fine  pond  to  employ  his  angling  in,  and  that  I  think  an 
exercise  of  this  kind  will  be  conducive  to  his  healtli." 
And  in  the  postscript,  "  Pray  don't  forget  to  send  for 
Beccaria  on  'Crimes  and  Punishments'  for  me,  and  fur- 
nish me  with  Sterne's  '  Sentimental  Journal.'  I  '11  take 
care  of  it,  and  return  it  safe." 

It  is  impossible  not  to  wish  that  we  knew  more 
about  the  little  circle  of  which  these  letters  give 


254  LIFE    OF   NATILVNAEL    GREENE.  '         [1776. 

US  such  a  tantalizing  glimpse.  Greene's  face  had 
not  yet  taken  that  anxious  and  careworn  expres- 
sion which  the  Quartermaster-General's  depart- 
ment gave  it.^  He  was  fond  of  conversation,  was 
a  good  listener,  and  particularly  skilful  in  intro- 
ducing the  subjects  upon  which  he  wished  to  draw 
out  the  opinions  of  his  companj^  But  duty  pressed 
hard  upon  him  ;  and,  much  as  he  loved  conversa- 
tion, he  loved  reading  still  more.  We  can  easily 
imagine  him  seated  by  his  little  desk,  with  his  pen 
or  his  book,  sometimes  absorbed  in  the  work  in 
hand,  sometimes  raising  his  eye  from  the  printed 
or  the  written  page  to  listen  for  a  few  moments 
to  the  conversation,  or  throw  in  a  few  suggestive 
words.  Paine  was  not  yet  Tom  Paine  the  drunk- 
ard, or  the  author  of  the  "Age  of  Reason,"  but  the 
great  pamphleteer  of  the  Revolution.  "  The  writer 
of  'Common  Sense '  and  the  '  Forrester '  is  the  same 
person,"  writes  John  Adams  to  his  wife.  "  His 
name  is  Paine,  a  gentleman  about  two  years  ago 
from  England,  —  a  man  who,  General  Lee  says,  has 
genius  in  his  eyes."  ^  "Washington,  too,  speaks  of 
"  the  sound  doctrine  and  unanswerable  reasonings 
contained  in  the  pamphlet  'Common  Sense,' "^ 
and  of  the  "  powerful  change  which  it  was  work- 
ing in  the  minds  of  many  men"  in  Virginia.* 
Clement  Biddle  was  a  Philadelphian,  two  years 
older  than    Greene,  and,  like    him,  of  a  Quaker 

1  I  was  told  of  this  expression  of  "^  Letters  of  John    Adams   to  his 

his  face  hy  the  late  Mrs.  Sands,  whose  Wife,  Vol.  I.  p.  10.5. 

name  will  be  met  with  more  than  once  '  Sparks,  Vol.  III.  p.  276. 

in  these  pages  as  Miss  Lott.  *  Sparks,  Vol.  IIL  p.  347. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  255 

fiimily,  and  a  Quaker  by  education.  His  reputation 
for  mercantile  skill  and  integrity  had  procured  him 
an  early  appointment  on  the  staff,  with  which  he 
remained  connected  till  1780,  living  all  the  while 
in  close  intimacy  with  Greene,  and  enjoying  the 
full  confidence  of  Washington.  Familiarity  with 
good  society  and  a  genial  temperament  made  him 
as  pleasant  a  companion  in  camp  as  his  higher 
qualities  of  mind  and  character  made  him  a  useful 
assistant  in  the  serious  duties  of  his  difficult  and 
responsible  department.  John  Clark,  Jr.,  must 
have  been  a  pleasant  companion,  too.  To  him 
Greene  was  drawn  by  their  common  love  of  knowl- 
edge ;  and  it  must  have  been  no  small  source  of 
gratification  to  the  commander  to  discover  in  his 
young  subordinate  much  of  the  same  spirit  to 
which  he  owed  his  own  advancement  in  life,  and  be 
able  by  his  counsels  to  repay  as  it  were,  through 
him,  some  portion  of  the  debt  he  owed  his  own 
early  friend  and  guide,  —  Dr.  Stiles.  Samuel 
Ward,  Jr.,  we  already  know.  He  was  now  a 
prisoner  on  parole,  fresh  from  Canada,  and  able  to 
tell,  if  he  had  been  less  unwilling  to  speak  of  him- 
self, thrilling  stories  of  the  wild  and  perilous  ex- 
pedition to  Quebec.  Hugh  Mercer,  too,  the  Scotch- 
man, was  often  there,  the  oldest  soldier  of  them 
all,  who  could  tell  of  the  still  wilder  scenes  amid 
which  he  first  met  Washington,  —  how  he  had  seen 
him  ride  backward  and  forward  over  the  fatal  field 
of  the  Monongahela,  untouched  by  the  bullets  that 
were  striking  down  some  comrade  with  every  fresh 


256  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

discharge  from  the  deadly  rifles  of  their  unseen 
foe,  until,  of  all  the  gallant  band  of  officers  who 
had  marched  out  that  bright  morning  in  the  pride 
and  fulness  of  their  strength,  he  was  the  only  one 
who  came  from  the  battle  unwounded.  Mercer 
could  also  tell  how,  spent  with  exertion  and  loss 
of  blood,  he  had  hidden  himself  under  the  trunk 
of  a  fallen  tree,  over  which  one  of  the  victorious 
Indians  had  passed  m  pursuit  of  him;  what  a  re- 
freshing draught  he  had  drunk  from  a  little  brook, 
the  first  refreshment  since  the  dawn  of  that  dis- 
astrous day;  and  how,  in  the  extremity  of  his  hun- 
ger, he  had  killed  and  ejiten  a  rattlesnake,  and 
fancied  it  a  delicious  morsel.  But  liveliest,  wit- 
tiest, merriest  of  all  the  group  w^as  young  William 
Blodget,  of  Providence ;  first  Greene's  secretary 
and  then  his  aid,  too  amiable  not  to  be  loved,  too 
volatile  to  love  himself  wisely,  but  wdiose  laugh 
always  rang  out  fresh  and  clear,  and  wdio  w'as 
always  ready  with  his  pen  to  sketch  figures  and 
groups,  and  make  his  companions  laugh  by  a  kind 
of  hieroglyphics  of  his  own,  in  which  part  of  the 
words  were  written  out,  and  part  symbolized  by 
figures  and  objects.  But  these  intervals  of  social 
relaxation  were  few,  and  seldom  free  from  inter- 
ruption. An  officer  would  come  in  for  orders,  or 
an  orderly  perhaps,  with  a  letter  fresh  from  head- 
quarters, in  the  familiar  hand  of  Washington,  or 
of  Harrison,  Washington's  trusted  aid  ;  and  Greene, 
turning  to  his  desk,  would  be  instantly  absorbed  in 
his  work. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  257 

"  Colonel  Harrison  wrote  me  you  were  in  great  want 
of  flour,"  he  writes  to  Wasliington  from  King's  Ferry  on  the 
5th.  "  'T  is  attended  with  very  great  difficulty  to  bring  it 
up  from  Fort  Lee  by  land.  Wagons  can't  be  got  to  trans- 
port a  sufficient  supply  for  your  army.  At  Dobbs's  Ferry 
there  are  eight  or  nine  hundred  barrels,  brought  from 
the  other  side.  I  have  directed  Colonel  Tupper  to  load 
a  number  of  the  pettyaugers  and  flat-bottomed  boats, 
and  send  them  up  to  Feekskill.  Our  troops  are  so  ar- 
ranged along  shore  I  am  in  hopes  to  keep  a  passage  open 
for  this  mode  of  conveyance.  If  it  can  be  done,  it  will 
save  an  amazing  expense. 

"  I  found  everything  in  this  place  in  the  utmost  confu- 
sion ;  the  wagons  and  flour  detained  for  want  of  boats 
and  assistance  to  transport  tliem  over.  I  shall  send  Cap- 
tain Pond  hither  as  soon  as  I  get  back,  to  take  charge  of 
the  public  stores  here  and  to  transport  the  things  across. 
Colonel  Tupper  is  to  convey  the  pettyaugers  by  the  sliips  ; 
and  if  the  barges  are  manned,  the  boats  are  to  be  run  on 
shore,  and  Major  Clark,  wlio  commands  a  party  opposite 
the  ships,  is  to  protect  them.  I  shall  attempt  to  trans- 
port stores  from  Burdett's  Ferry  if  the  enemy  make  no 
new  disposition.  The  utmost  care  shall  be  taken  that 
nothing  falls  into  the  enemy's  liands. 

"  I  am  informed  by  Colonel  Harrison  that  your  Excel- 
lency approves  of  the  plan  for  forming  the  magazines. 
I  have  directed  the  commissaries  of  tlie  department  to  lay 
in  the  provisions  as  fast  as  possible,  and  the  Quarter- 
master-General is  exerting  himself  to  lay  in  provender. 

"  Many  of  our  people  have  got  into  huts.  Tlie  tents 
are  sent  forward  as  fast  as  the  people  get  their  huts 
complete. 

"  Should  this  ferry  be  wanted  through  the  winter,  the 
landing  must  be  altered.  I  can,  by  altering  the  road, 
shorten  the  distance  two  miles  ;  one  by  land,  the  other  by 

17 


258  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

water.    Where  it  now  is,  it  freezes  very  soon  ;  where  I  pro- 
pose it,  it  is  open  all  winter. 

"  lam  now  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  am  informed  by 
Colonel  Hawkes  Hay  that  the  militia  which  he  commands 
refuse  to  do  duty.  They  say  that  General  Howe  has  prom- 
ised them  peace,  liberty,  and  safety,  and  that  is  all  they 
want.  What  is  to  be  done  with  them?  Tiiis  spirit  and 
temper  should  be  checked  in  its  infancy.  I  purpose  to 
send  the  Colonel  about  fifty  men,  and  have  directed  the 
Colonel  to  acquaint  them,  if  they  refuse  to  do  duty  agreea- 
ble to  the  orders  of  the  State,  that  I  will  send  up  a  regi- 
ment here,  and  march  them  to  Fort  Lee  to  do  duty 
there.     I  beg  your  Excellency's  further  advice. 

"  I  am  informed  the  Virginia  regiments  are  coming  on. 
I  wish  I  could  form  a  party  sufficiently  strong  to  make 
a  little  diversion  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy  by  the  way  of 
King's  Bridge.  The  Hessians  have  relaid  the  bridge  and 
been  across  ;  but  yesterday  morning,  I  believe,  they  all 
went  back  again.  What  does  your  Excellency  tliink  of 
such  a  manoeuvre  ?  Is  it  practicable  ?  has  it  the  ap- 
pearance of  being  successful  if  attempted  and  well  con- 
ducted ? 

"  We  have  a  flying  report  that  General  Gates  has  de- 
feated Burgoyne.  We  also  hear  that  a  party  of  Hessians 
has  deserted  over  to  us.  I  wish  to  know  the  truth  of 
both  reports. 

"  All  things  were  quiet  at  Fort  Lee  and  York  Island 
yesterday  at  noon. 

"  The  people  seem  to  be  much  alarmed  at  Philadelphia 
from  the  success  of  the  enemy.  The  country  is  greatly 
alarmed  at  having  tlieir  grain  and  hay  burnt,  yet  I  believe 
it  will  answer  a  most  valuable  purpose :  I  wish  it  had 
been  sooner  agreed  upon. 

"  I  am  informed  Hugh  Gaine,  the  printer,  is  gone  into 
New  York.     I  have  ordered  all  the  boats  stove  from  Bur- 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  259 

dett's  Ferry  to  Hobuck,  and  from  Powley's  Hook  to  Ber- 
gen Point,  to  stop  the  communication.  There  is  a  vile 
generation  here  as  well  as  with  you.  The  committee 
from  Philadelphia  for  inquiring  into  the  state  of  the  army 
complains  that  enlisting  orders  are  not  given  out.  Please 
to  let  me  know  your  pleasure." 

While  Greene  was  writing  these  lines,  Harrison, 
by  Washington's  order,  was  answering  the  question 
asked  in  the  letter  of  the  30th  October  about 
holding  "  the  grounds  between  King's  Bridge  and 
the  lower  lines." 

"It  depends,"  he  says,  "upon  so  many  circumstances 
that  it  is  impossible  for  him  (Washington)  to  determine 
the  point.  He  submits  entirely  to  your  discretion  and 
such  judgment  as  you  will  be  able  to  form  from  the 
enemy's  movements,  and  the  whole  complexion  of  things. 
He  says  you  know  the  original  design  was  to  garrison 
the  works,  and  preserve  the  lower  lines  as  long  as  they 
can  be  kept,  that  the  communication  across  the  river 
might  be  open  to  us,  at  the  same  time  that  the  enemy 
should  be  prevented  from  having  a  passage  up  and  down 
the  river  for  their  ships."  ^ 

1  Force,  American  Archives,  5th  Series,  Vol.  III.  p.  519. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

Movements  of  the  Enemy.  —  Magaw  on  the  Alert.  —  Greene  to  Wash- 
ington. —  Harrison  to  Greene.  —  Washington  to  Greene.  —  Greene 
to  AVashington.  —  Preparations  for  Defence.  —  Letters  to  and  from 
Greene.  —  Washington  at  Fort  Lee.  —  Fall  of  Fort  Washington. 

TT^ARLY  in  the  morning  of  that  same  day,  the 
-^  5th  of  November,  the  enemy  "  made  a  sudden 
and  unexpected  movement  from  the  several  posts 
they  had  taken  in  front  of  the  Americans."  ^  Wash- 
ington had  foiled  them  by  superior  generalship. 
Even  Lee  was  satisfied.  "  We"  he  writes  Franklin 
on  the  Gth,  "  have  by  proper  positions  brought  Mr. 
Howe  to  his  ne  plus  itl&a."^  "  The  design  of  this 
manoeuvre,"  writes  Washington,  "  is  a  matter  of 
much  conjecture  and  speculation,  and  cannot  be 
accounted  for  with  any  degree  of  certainty."^ 
Washington's  conjecture  proved  the  true  one.  "I 
expect  the  enemy  will  bend  their  force  against 
Fort  Washington,  and  invest  it  immediately.  From 
some  advices,  it  is  an  object  that  will  attract  their 
earliest  attention."  * 

Magaw  was  on  the  alert.     "  We  have  just  now 
discovered,"  he  writes  to  Greene  on  the  Tth,  "  that 

1  Washington  to  President  of  Con-  ^  Washington  to  President  of  Con- 
gress, Spailcs,  Vol.  IV.  p.  1.57.  grass,  ut  sup. 

^  Force,   American  Archives,    5th  *  Washington,  ut  sup. 
Series,  Vol.  II.  p.  541. 


1776.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  261 

the  enemy  have  brought  down  about  forty  sail  to 
Morrisania  Point,  ten  of  which  are  ships.  By  this, 
I  imagine  they  are  retreating,  and  intend  to  pay 
us  a  visit.  This  forenoon  we  discovered  several 
English  officers  on  the  Plains  on  this  side  King's 
Bridge.  We  conjecture  they  had  come  from  the 
grand  army.  We  have  made  a  bad  exchange  for 
Hutchinson's  regiment,  at  least  in  point  of  num- 
bers :  we  have  great  need  of  the  one  hundred  and 
twenty  from  them.  Perhaps  you  can  visit  us  in 
the  morning.  The  Hessians  continue  intrenching 
on  the  heights  on  this  side  King's  Bridge."  "  Col- 
onel Cadwallader,"  says  the  postscript,  "  has  dis- 
covered twenty-three  topsail  vessels."^ 

But,  farther  north.  New  Jersey  seemed  their  im- 
mediate object. 

"  By  an  express  from  Major  Clarke,  stationed  at  Dobbs's 
Ferry,"  Greene  writes  to  Washington  on  the  7th,  "  I  find 
the  enemy  are  encamped  right  opposite,  to  the  number  of 
between  three  and  five  thousand  ;  and  the  Major  adds, 
from  their  disposition  and  search  after  boats,  they  design 
to  cross  the  river.  A  frigate  and  two  transports  or  pro- 
vision-ships passed  the  chevaux-de-frise  night  before  last ; 
they  were  prodigiously  shattered  from  the  fire  of  our 
cannon.  The  same  evening,  Colonel  Tapper  attempted 
passing  the  ships  with  the  petty  augers  loaded  with  flour. 
The  enemy  manned  several  barges,  two  tenders,  and  a 
row-galley,  and  attacked  them.  Our  people  ran  the  petty- 
augers  ashore,  and  landed  and  defended  them.  The 
enemy  attempted  to  land  several  times,  but  were  repulsed. 
The  fire  lasted  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  the  enemy 

1  Greene  Papers,  MSS. 


2G2  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

moved  off.  Colonel  Tapper  still  thinks  he  can  transport 
the  provisions  in  flatboats.  A  second  attempt  shall  be 
speedily  made.     We  lost  one. 

"  General  Mercer  writes  me  the  Virginia  troops  are 
coming  on.  They  are  now  at  Trentown.  He  proposes 
an  attack  on  Staten  Island ;  but  the  motions  of  the 
enemy  are  such  I  think  necessary  for  them  to  come  for- 
ward as  fast  as  possible.  On  York  Island,  the  enemy 
have  taken  possession  of  the  far  hill  nearest  to  Spuyteu 
Devil.  I  think  they  will  not  be  able  to  penetrate  any  far- 
ther. There  appears  to  be  about  fifteen  hundred  of 
them.  From  the  enemy's  motions,  I  should  be  apt  to  sus- 
pect they  were  retreating  from  your  army,  or  altering 
their  operations. 

"  Mr.  Lovell,  who  at  last  is  enlarged  from  his  confine- 
ment, reports  that  Colonel  Allen,  his  fellow-prisoner,  was 
informed  that  transports  were  getting  in  readiness,  to  sail 
at  a  moment's  warning,  sufficient  to  transport  fifteen 
thousand  men. 

"  The  officers  of  Colonel  Hand's  regiment  are  here 
with  enlisting  orders.  The  officers  of  the  Pennsylvania 
regiments  think  it  a  grievance  (such  of  them  as  are  com- 
missioned for  the  new  establishment)  that  the  officers  of 
other  regiments  should  have  the  privilege  of  enlisting 
their  men  before  they  get  orders.  I  have  stopped  it  until 
I  learn  your  Excellency's  pleasure.  General  Irvine  is 
very  much  opposed  to  it.  You  '11  please  to  favor  me  with 
a  line  on  the  subject." 

On  the  7th,  also,  Washington  had  heard  of  the 
passage  of  other  ships  through  the  chevaux-de-frise. 

"  His  Excellency,"  writes  Harrison  on  that  day,  "just 
now  received  intelligence  that  three  of  the  enemy's  ships 
passed  the  chevaux-de-frise  yesterday,  or  the  day  before. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  263 

When  he  considers  this  event,  with  the  present  disposition 
of  the  enemy,  who  have  advanced  towards  the  North 
River,  he  apprehends  that  they  have  something  in  view 
that  we  are  not  apprised  of.  He  wishes  you  to  post 
parties  of  observation  at  every  place  on  the  Jersey  side  of 
the  Nortli  River  where  they  can  land,  to  watch  their 
motions  ;  and  upon  the  least  appearance  of  their  collect- 
ing boats,  or  making  any  disposition  to  embark,  that  they 
will  give  him  the  earliest  notice."^ 

On  the  following  day  Washington  himself  wrote 
to  Greene :  — 

"  The  late  passage  of  three  vessels  up  the  North  River, 
of  which  we  have  just  received  advice,  is  so  plain  a  proof 
of  the  inefficacy  of  all  the  obstructions  we  have  thrown 
into  it  that  I  cannot  but  think  it  will  fully  justify  a 
change  in  the  disposition  that  has  been  made.  If  we  can- 
not prevent  vessels  from  passing  up,  and  the  enemy  is 
possessed  of  the  surrounding  country,  what  valuable 
purpose  can  it  answer  to  attempt  to  hold  a  post  from 
which  the  expected  benefit  cannot  be  had  ?  I  am  therefore 
inclined  to  think  that  it  will  not  be  prudent  to  hazard  the 
men  and  stores  at  Mount  Washington  ;  but,  as  you  are  on 
the  spot,  I  leave  it  to  you  to  give  such  orders  as  to  evac- 
uating Mount  Washington  as  you  may  judge  best,  and  so 
far  revoking  the  order  given  to  Colonel  Magaw  to  defend 
it  to  the  last."  ^ 

This  letter  reached  Greene  on  the  9th,  and  he 
immediately  answered  it. 

"  Your  Excellency's  letter  of  the  8th  this  moment 
came  to  hand.  I  shall  forward  the  letter  to  General 
Stevens  by  express.  The  stores  at  Dobbs's  Ferry,  I  had 
just  given  orders  to  the  quartermaster  to  prepare  wag- 

1  Greene  Papers,  Letters  to  Gen-        ^  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p.  164. 
eral  Greene,  1776. 


2G4  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

ons  to  remove  them.  I  think  the  enemy  will  meet  with 
some  difficiihy  in  crossing  tlie  river  at  Dobbs's  Ferry. 
However,  it  is  not  best  to  trust  too  much  to  the  expected 
difficulties  they  may  meet  there. 

"  By  tlie  letter  that  will  accompany  this,  and  was  to 
have  gone  last  night  by  Major  Mifflin,  your  Excellency 
will  see  what  measures  I  took  before  your  favor  came  to 
hand.  The  passing  of  the  ships  up  the  river  is,  to  be  sure, 
a  full  proof  of  tiie  insufficiency  of  the  obstructions  in  the 
river  to  stop  the  ships  from  going  up  ;  but  that  garrison 
employs  double  the  men  to  invest  it  that  we  have  to  oc- 
cupy it.  They  must  keep  troops  at  King's  Bridge  to 
prevent  a  communication  with  the  country  ;  and  they 
dare  not  leave  a  very  small  number,  for  fear  our  people 
should  attack  them. 

"  Upon  the  whole,  I  cannot  help  thinking  the  garrison 
is  of  advantage  ;  and  I  cannot  conceive  the  garrison  to  be 
in  any  great  danger.  Tlie  men  can  be  brought  off"  at  any 
time,  but  the  stores  may  not  be  so  easily  removed  ;  yet  I 
think  they  can  be  got  off  in  spite  of  them,  if  matters  grow 
desperate.  This  post  is  of  no  importance  only  in  con- 
junction with  Mount  Washington.  I  was  over  there  last 
evening.  The  enemy  seem  to  be  disposing  matters  to  be- 
siege the  place  ;  but  Colonel  Magaw  thinks  it  will  take 
them  till  December  expires  before  they  can  carry  it.  If 
the  enemy  do  not  find  it  an  object  of  importance,  they  will 
not  trouble  themselves  about  it ;  if  they  do,  it  is  an  open 
proof  they  feel  an  injury  from  our  possessing  it.  Our 
giving  it  up  will  open  a  free  communication  with  the 
country  by  tiie  way  of  King's  Bridge,  that  must  be  a 
great  advantage  to  them  and  injury  to  us." 

In  the  same  letter  of  the  8th,  Washington  had 
written  :  — 

"  The  best  accounts  obtained  of  the  enemy  assure  us  of 


1776.] 


LIFE    OF   NATHAN.AI:L    GREENE.  265 


a  considerable  movement  among  their  boats  last  evening; 
and,  so  far  as  can  be  collected  from  the  various  sources  of 
intelligence,  they  must  design  a  penetration  into  Jersey, 
and  to  fall  down  upon  your  post.  You  will  therefore 
immediately  have  all  the  stores  removed  which  you  do 
not  deem  necessary  for  your  defence  ;  and,  as  the  enemy 
have  drawn  great  relief  from  the  forage  and  provisions 
which  they  have  found  in  the  country,  and  which  our  ten- 
derness spared,  you  will  do  well  to  prevent  their  receiving 
any  fresh  supplies  there  by  destroying  them,  if  the  inhab- 
itants will  not  drive  off  their  stock  and  remove  their  hay 
and  grain  in  time.  Experience  has  shown  that  a  contrary 
conduct  is  not  of  the  least  advantage  to  the  poor  inhabit- 
ants, from  whom  all  their  effects  of  every  kind  are  taken, 
without  distinction  and  without  the  least  satisfaction. 

"  Troops  are  filing  off  from  hence  as  fast  as  our  situa- 
tion and  circumstances  will  admit,  in  order  to  be  trans- 
ported over  the  river  with  all  expedition." 

"  If  the  enemy  crosses  the  river,"  answered  Greene, 
"  I  shall  follow  your  Excellency's  advice  respecting  the 
cattle  and  forage.  Those  measures,  however  cruel  in  ap- 
pearance, were  ever  my  maxims  of  war  in  defence  of  a 

country.    In  attacking,  they  would  be  very  improper 

I  shall  collect  our  whole  strength  and  watch  the  motions 
of  the  enemy,  and  pursue  such  measures  for  the  future 
as  circumstances  may  render  necessary. 

"  As  I  have  your  Excellency's  permission,  I  shall  order 
General  Stephen  on  as  far  as  Aquackanonck,  at  least. 
That  is  an  important  pass.  I  am  fortifying  it  as  fast  as 
possible." 

Part  of  the  army  was  now  crossing  the  Hudson 
at  King's  Ferry,  and  it  was  evident  that  the 
enemy's  plans  would  soon  be  known.  Washington, 
too,  would  soon  be  at  Fort  Lee.     Meanwhile  letters 


266  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  ["76. 

continued    to    pass    constantly  between    him    and 
Greene. 

"  Your  Excellency's  favor  by  Colonel  Harrison  of  the 
8th,"  Greene  writes  on  the  10th  from  Fort  Lee,  "  came 
to  hand  last  evening.  I  am  taking  every  measure  in  my 
power  to  oppose  the  enemy's  landing,  if  they  attempt 
crossing  the  river  into  the  Jerseys.  I  have  about  five 
hundred  men  posted  at  the  different  passes  in  the  moun- 
tains fortifying.  About  five  hundred  more  are  marching 
from  Amboy  directly  for  Dobbs's  Ferry.  General  Mercer 
is  with  me  now.  I  shall  send  him  up  to  take  command 
of  these  immediately.  I  have  directed  the  Quarter- 
master-General to  have  everything  moved  out  of  the 
enemy's  way,  particularly  cattle,  carriages,  hay  and  grain. 
The  flour  at  Dobbs's  Ferry  is  all  moved  from  that  place ; 
and  I  have  directed  wagons  to  transport  it  to  Clarke's 
and  Orange  towns.  I  was  at  Dobbs's  Ferry  last  night ;  left 
it  at  sundown  ;  saw  no  new  movement  of  the  enemy. 
The  enemy  landed  from  on  board  the  ships  many  bales  of 
goods,  supposed  to  be  clothing.  I  am  sure  the  enemy 
cannot  land  at  Dobbs's  Ferry,  it  will  be  so  hedged  up  by 
night.  The  flats  run  otF  a  great  distance ;  they  can't 
get  near  the  shore  with  their  ships.  If  the  enemy  in- 
tends to  effect  a  landing  at  all,  they  '11  attempt  it  at 
Naiac's,  or  Haverstraw  Bay.  I  wish  these  intelligences 
may  not  be  calculated  to  deceive  us.  Methinks  if  the 
enemy  intended  crossing  the  river,  they  would  not  give  us 
several  days  to  prepare  to  oppose  them.  They  might 
have  taken  their  measures,  lain  concealed  until  they  had 
got  everytliing  in  readiness  to  cross  the  river,  and  then 
effected  it  at  once.  It  might  have  been  so  much  easier 
accomplished  that  way  than  it  can  now,  and  so  many 
more  advantages  obtained  in  getting  possession  of  the 
grain,  hay,  cattle,  wagons,  and  liorscs,  that  I  cannot  help 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  267 

suspecting  it  to  be  only  a  feint  to  lead  our  attention  astray. 
I  wish  it  may  not  turn  out  so.  However,  I  shall  exert 
myself  as  much  to  be  in  readiness  as  if  they  had  actually 
landed,  and  make  the  same  disposition  to  oppose  them  as 
if  I  was  certain  they  intended  to  cross. 

"  I  shall  keep  a  good,  intelligent  officer  at  Bergen,  and 
another  at  Ball's  Ferry,  to  watch  the  motions  of  the  ships. 

"  Your  Excellency's  letter  to  General  Putnam  this 
moment  came  to  hand.  I  have  ordered  the  Quarter- 
master-General to  send  off  all  the  superfluous  stores,  and 
the  commissaries  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  pro- 
vide for  the  troops  at  Dobbs's  Ferry  and  Haverstraw  Bay. 

"  I  have  wrote  to  Colonel  Hawkes  Hay  to  have  the 
road  altered  at  King's  Ferry.  I  directed  Colonel  Tupper 
to  send  up  to  that  ferry  all  the  spare  boats.  I  had  given 
orders  for  collecting  and  scuttling  the  boats  before  your 
Excellency's  letter  came  to  hand  on  the  subject.  Our 
numbers  are  small  for  the  duty  we  have  to  go  through  ; 
but  I  hope  our  exertions  may  be  in  some  proportion  to 
your  Excellency's  expectation.  Sixty  or  seventy  sail  of 
shipping  from  Frogg's  Point  and  Morrisania  have  fallen 
down  the  East  River  to  New  York. 

"  In  my  next  I  will  enclose  your  Excellency  a  return 
of  the  stores  of  all  kinds  at  this  post,  and  take  your  fur- 
ther directions  as  to  the  disposition  of  them." 

On  the  11th  important  intelligence  was  brought 
in  by  Justice  Mercerau,  of  Staten  Island.  Greene 
communicated  it  to  Washington  the  same  day,  and 
on  the  next  to  the  President  of  Congress. 

"  Your  favor  of  the  4th  and  5th  of  this  instant,"  he 
writes  the  President,  "  came  duly  to  hand.  You  may  de- 
pend upon  my  transmitting  to  Congress  every  piece  of  intel- 
ligence that  comes  to  hand  that  is  worthy  of  their  notice. 

"  By  one  Justice  Mercerau,  a  gentleman  that  fled  from 


268  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

Staten  Island,  I  am  informed  that  there  are  ten  thousand 
troops  embarked  for  South  Carolina,  to  be  commanded 
by  Lord  Dunmore.  This  intelligence  he  obtained  by  a 
gentleman  yesterday  from  the  city  of  New  York,  —  a  man 
of  credit  and  truth.  Mercerau  is  a  very  good  friend  to 
the  cause  and  a  sensible  man,  and  he  says  from  several 
ways  this  account  is  confirmed.  Perhaps  the  number  is 
not  so  great  as  reported.  Mercerau  further  informs  me 
that  a  large  fleet  are  at  the  watering-place  on  Long  or 
Staten  Inland,  all  ready  to  sail  for  England.  It  is  re- 
ported the  fleet  consists  of  one  hundred  sail, 

"  By  several  accounts  of  different  people  from  the  city, 
it  appears  our  prisoners  are  in  a  very  suffering  situation. 
Humanity  requires  that  something  should  be  done  for 
them.  They  have  only  half  allowance  of  bread  and 
water  ;  but  this,  I  suppose,  is  exaggerated. 

"  Tiie  enemy  at  Dobbs's  Ferry,  where  they  have  lain 
several  days  past,  decamped  this  morning  at  nine  o'clock, 
and  took  the  road  towards  King's  Bridge.  They  made  an 
appearance  at  the  ferry,  as  if  they  intended  to  cross  the 
river.  I  believe  they  are  disappointed  in  their  expecta- 
tions, and  at  a  loss  what  measures  to  pursue. 

"  We  have  had  several  skirmishes  with  the  Hessians  on 
York  Island  within  a  few  days  ;  killed  and  wounded  be- 
tween thirty  and  forty  privates,  and  one  officer. 

"  Day  before  yesterday  our  people  had  an  interview 
with  the  Hessians ;  they  acknowledged  they  were  greatly 
imposed  upon  by  their  prince,  and  promised  to  desert  that 
night,  but  none  came  over. 

"  A  considerable  part  of  the  troops  on  the  other  side  are 
coming  over  into  the  Jerseys,  and  his  Excellency  Gen- 
eral Washington  with  them.  I  expect  General  Howe 
will  attempt  to  possess  himself  of  Mount  Washington,  but 
very  much  doubt  whether  he  will  succeed  in  the  attempt. 
Our  troops  are  much  fatigued  with  the  amazing  duty,  but 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATH.iNAEL    GREENE.  269 

are  generally  in  good  spirits.  The  Hessians  say  they  are 
on  half  allowance.  The  light-horse  are  said  to  be  perish- 
ing for  want  of  provender." 

On  the  13th  Washington  reached  Fort  Lee.^ 
He  was  now  convinced  that  one  of  the  immediate 
objects  of  the  enemy  was  "  the  investing  of  Fort 
Washington";^  and  it  was  evident  that,  if  the 
garrison  were  to  be  withdrawn,  they  must  be  with- 
drawn without  loss  of  time.  Still  his  mind  wavered 
in  "  warfare  and  hesitation."  ^  Greene  was  in  favor 
of  defending  the  fort;  and  of  Greene's  "judgment 
and  candor  "  he  had  "  a  good  opinion."  *  While  he 
was  thus  wavering,  the  enemy  came.  On  the  15th 
Magaw  was  summoned  to  surrender;  and,  return- 
ing "  a  spirited  refusal,"  ^  sent  over  an  express  to 
Greene  with  a  copy  of  his  letter.  Washington 
had  ridden  over  to  Hackinsac.  "Enclosed,"  Greene 
writes  to  him  from  Fort  Lee  at  four  o'clock,  "  you 
have  a  letter  from  Colonel  Magaw.  The  contents 
will  require  your  Excellency's  attention.  I  have 
directed  Colonel  Magaw  to  defend  the  place  un- 
til he  hears  from  me.  I  have  ordered  General 
Heard's  brigade  to  hasten  on.  I  shall  go  to  the 
Island  soon." 

Washington  hurried  back  to  Fort  Lee.  Greene 
and  Putnam  were  gone  to  Fort  Washington.     He 

1  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p.  134.  Reed,  p.  263,  and  his  reprint  of  the 

2  Ibid.  original    letters    of   Washington    to 
^  Letter  to  Joseph  Reed,  August  22,     Reed,  p.  1 24. 

1779  ;  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p.  329  ;  and,        *  Washington  to  Reed,  ut  sup. 
with  slight  variations,  in  W.B.  Reed's        ^  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p.  179. 
Life  and  Correspondence  of  Joseph 


270  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

instantly  followed,  and  was  partly  across  the  river, 
when  he  met  them  on  their  w^ay  back.^  It  was 
late.  The  shadows  of  evening  already  lay  damp 
and  dark  on  the  deep  bed  of  the  river,  and  were 
fast  enfolding  the  fortress  itself,  over  which  the 
young  flag  was  waving  for  the  last  time  in  the 
cold,  autumn  twilight.  While  the  boatmen  of  the 
two  barges  lay  on  their  oars,  Greene  and  Putnam 
told  him  how  hopeful  they  had  left  Magaw,  and 
how  confident  all  were  that  they  could  make  their 
defence  good.  Encouraged,  though  not  fully  shar- 
ing their  confidence,  he  returned  with  them  to  the 
western  shore,^  —  all  three,  perhaps,  pausing  from 
time  to  time,  as  they  climbed  the  steep  ascent  of 
the  Palisades,  to  hearken  whether,  amid  the  sounds 
that  floated  heavily  on  the  damp  night-air,  there 
was  anything  to  encourage  them  or  to  alarm. 
Night  slowly  wore  away,  —  a  long  and  anxious 
night,  so  impenetrably  dark  on  the  surface  of  the 
river,  that,  although  watchful  eyes  from  either  bank 
were  fixed  upon  it,  the  enem}?^  passed  silently  up 
with  thirty  flat-bottomed  boats,  and,  entering 
Spuyten  Devil  Creek,  carried  them  safely  round 
to  Harlem  River,^  where  Cornwallis  and  Mathews 
were  waiting  their  arrival.  Day  came  at  last,  and 
with  it  the  booming  of  cannon  from  north  and 
south.*    At  ten,  a  large  body  was  seen  advancing 

1  Marshall,   Life   of   TVashinpton,  American  Archives,  5th  Scries,  Vol. 

Vol.   L    p.    117    (2d   ed.)  ;    Gordon,  IIL  p.  924 ;  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p.  174, 

Vol.  IL  p.  348.  note. 

'^  Iliid.  *  Graydon,  Memoirs,  p.  199. 

'  Howe's     official    report,   Force, 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GKEENE.  271 

over  Harlem  Plain,  with  their  field-pieces  in  front, 
which,  on  coming  within  cannon-shot  of  a  small 
work  on  a  rocky  point  of  the  ridge  that  skirted  it, 
they  unlimbered,  and  began  to  fire.^ 

Meanwhile,  Washington,  Greene,  Putnam,  Mer- 
cer, and  Knox,  with  their  aids,  had  again  crossed 
the  river,  and  were  watching  the  enemy's  approach 
from  the  old  head-quarters  at  Morris's  house.  Wash- 
ington gave  no  new  orders,  but,  observing  the 
troops  and  their  position,  withdrew  reluctantly, 
though  just  in  time  to  escape  capture.  Fifteen 
minutes  later  the  English  stood  on  the  very  spot 
where  he  had  been  standing.^ 

The  attack  began,  —  Knyphausen  leading  on  the 
north ;  Mathews,  Cornwallis,  and  Sterling  on  the 
east ;  Percy,  with  Lexington  still  fresh  in  his 
memory,  on  the  south.^  Washington  had  taken 
his  stand  on  the  brow  of  the  Palisades,  whence  he 
could  see  part  and  hear  all.*  Greene  was  with 
him,  and  Putnam  and  Mercer  and  Knox  and  Reed. 
Tom  Paine  was  there,  too ;  and  Young  Samuel 
Ward,  whose  heart  misgave  him,  for,  a  few  days 
before,  on  visiting  the  fort  with  Greene,  he  had 
recognized  among  its  defenders  some  of  the  faint- 
hearted of  the  Canada  expedition,  who,  when  the 
toil  and  danger  pressed  upon  them,  had  turned 
back,  and  abandoned  their  comrades.  When  they 
saw  Ward,  they  started  as  if  they  had  seen  a  spec- 

1  Graydon,  nt  sup.  Howe's  Report,  m<  swp.  Washington  to 

2  Graj'don,  p.  200;  Gordon,  Vol.     President  of  Congress,  Sparks,  Vol. 
II.  p.  348.  IV.  p.  178. 

2  Marshall,  Graydon,  Gordon,  and        *  Gordon,  Vol.  II.  p.  351. 


272  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

tre,  and  slunk  away.^  There  was  gallant  fighting 
on  the  north,  where  Eawlings,  with  his  Virginians? 
held  the  Hessians  at  bay,  giving  ground  only  when 
their  rifles  became  foul,  and  could  no  longer  be  used 
with  effect.  It  cost  Knyphausen  "  near  upon  eight 
hundred  men"  to  force  them  back.^  Gallantly,  too, 
Cadwallader  maintained  his  ground  till  the  first  and 
second  divisions  of  the  enemy,  crossing  the  Har- 
lem and  dispersing  the  troops  in  their  front,  were 
upon  the  point  of  cutting  off  his  retreat.  The 
royal  troops  pushed  on  with  exultation.  The 
Americans  fell  back,  or  broke  and  fled.  Ralil  was 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  fort.  The  troops 
lost  heart,  and  refused  to  man  the  lines  where,  par- 
ticidarly  from  the  northern  brow  of  the  hill,  they 
might  still  have  held  their  ground.^  Magaw  did 
his  best,  but  in  they  came,  panic-stricken,  and 
crowding  one  upon  another,  till  there  was  no  room 
left  to  fight  in.  The  enemy  sent  a  second  sum- 
mons. 

Washington  saw  it;  saw  the  white  flag  go  into  the 
fort;  saw  his  men  bayoneted,  as  they  begged  for 
quarters.  There  was  still  a  chance  of  safety.  Could 
Magaw  but  hold  out  till  night,  his  men  might  j^et  be 
saved  from  captivity.  A  gallant  Massachusetts  man 
—  Captain  Gooch  —  offered  to  cross  with  the  mes- 
sage ;  and,  making  his  way  up  to  the  fort  and  then 
back  again,  running  down  the  steep  hillside,  dodging 

1  This  was   told   me   by   Richard  ^  tjij^  is  Gordon's  statement. 

Ray  Ward,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  son  ^  Greene  to  Governor  Cooke,  Dec. 

of   Mnjor  Ward,  who   had  it    from  4,1776;  Gordon,  Vol.  II.  p.  350. 
his  father. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF    NATH.INAEL    GREENE.  273 

blows  and  thrusts  from  swords  and  bayonets  as  he 
passed,  brought  back  the  unwelcome  tidings  that 
it  was  too  late  ;  -^  the  negotiations  had  advanced  too 
far;  the  garrison  were  already  prisoners  of  war; 
Fort  Washington,  with  its  valuable  stores,  and  more 
than  two  thousand  men, — good  and  true  men,  many 
of  them,  —  was  lost.  Why  was  it  held  at  such 
hazard  ? 

Greene  has  always  borne  the  blame  of  this  loss, 
as  if,  when  the  Commander-in-chief  was  present,  the 
decision  had  rested  with  him.  The  reasons  on 
which  he  founded  his  advice  he  has  given  in  full  in 
his  letter  of  the  9th  of  November.  It  cannot  be 
denied  that  there  is  great  weight  in  them.  Could 
Fort  Washington  have  held  out  till  the  middle  of 
December,  it  could  have  held  out  till  spring ;  and 
with  such  a  fortress  in  his  rear,  Howe  would  never 
have  dared  to  enter  the  Jerseys.  Washington 
found  Greene's  reasons  so  strong  that  he  could  not 
come  to  a  decision ;  and  while  he  was  weighing 
them,  the  post  was  lost. 

But  one  of  the  elements  of  Greene's  calculation 
failed  him.  He  had  calculated  upon  a  vigorous 
defence,  and  the  defence  was  not  worthy  of  that 
of  Bunker  Hill  the  year  before,  nor  that  of  Fort 
Mercer  or  Fort  Mifflin  the  year  after.  Had  Raw- 
lings  been  supported,  Knyphausen  could  not  have 
gained  the  north  lines.  But  the  men  refused  to 
man  them,  and  crowded  into  the  redoubt,  where 
they  became  a  compact  mark  for  the  enemy's  guns. 

i  Heath,  p.  86. 
18 


274  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

The  defence  on  the  east  was  still  more  irresolute  ; 
and  there  are  questions  connected  with  that  on  the 
south  which  will,  it  is  probable,  never  be  solved.^ 
But  had  it  been  like  that  of  Rawlings's  riflemen, 
it  would  have  wellnigh  crippled  the  enemy.  A 
thousand  or  fifteen  hundred  men  more  would  have 
been  enough  to  give  Magaw  the  means  of  support- 
ing the  riflemen,  and  strengthening  his  defences 
on  the  east.  I  am  told,  by  persons  better  qualified 
than  I  am  to  decide  a  military  question,  that  Gen- 
eral Greene's  advice  was  founded  upon  sound  mili- 
tary principles.  That  he  still  thought  so  long  after, 
is  evident  from  his  answer  to  Wilkinson.  "  I  after- 
wards," says  Wilkinson,  "  conversed  with  General 
Greene  respecting  this  affair,  who  was  generally 
blamed  for  attempting  to  hold  the  place  ;  and  I  rec- 
ollect well  he  observed, '  I  would  to  God  we  had  had 
ten  thousand  men  there.'  He  was  of  opinion  that 
the  ground  was  tenable,  and  that  it  was  lost  by  the 
insufficiency  of  our  force.  I  am  inclined  to  the 
same  opinion,  and  the  fact  may  be  ascertained."^ 

This  agrees  with  what  Greene  wrote  to  Gover- 
nor Cooke  on  the  4th  of  December.  "  The  garrison 
consisted  of  upwards  of  two  thousand  men  :  the 
lines  were  too  extensive  for  that  number  to  defend; 
and  when  they  retreated  into  the  garrison,  so  much 

1  Acfording  to  documents  in  the  publish  the  results  of  his  investiga- 

possession  of  Mr.  Dawson,  Cadwalla-  tion  of  the  whole  subject.     The  stu- 

der  gave   up  the    P'ort  "  without   a  dent  of  American  history  will  looit 

blow,  wiiile    Magaw  was  away  from  anxiously  for  them, 

it,  leading  hi«  men  to  oppose  another  '  Wilkinson's  Memoirs,  Vol.  I.  p. 

column  of  the  enemy."     It  is  under-  103. 
stood   that    Mr.    Dawson   will   soon 


1776.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  275 

confusion,  disorder,  and  dispiritedness  prevailed 
that  Colonel  Magaw,  who  commanded  the  garrison, 
could  not  get  the  troops  to  man  the  outworks." 
These  words  were  written  before  he  had  had  an 
opportunity  of  conversing  with  any  of  the  prisoners 
of  that  disastrous  day.  In  1778,  when  he  had  had 
that  opportunity,  and  had  also  studied  the  subject 
in  the  light  of  longer  experience,  he  wrote  to  John 
Brown.  "  Remember  the  effect  that  the  loss  of  the 
garrison  of  Fort  Washington  had  :  there  were  men 
enough  to  have  defended  themselves  against  all  the 
army,  had  they  not  been  struck  with  a  panic  ;  but, 
being  most  of  them  irregular  troops,  they  lost  all 
their  confidence  when  the  danger  began  to  grow 
pressing,  and  so  fell  a  prey  to  their  own  fears."  ^ 

1  The  following  passage  from  the  in  attempting  to  storm  lines  incon- 

same  letter,  written  llth  September,  siderable  when  compared  to  the  forti- 

1778,  after  the   failure  of  the  expe-  fications  at  Newport,  and  defended 

dition   against  Newport,   shows    on  with  a  less   number  of  men  in  the 

what   his   reasoning   concerning   the  works  than  were  here.     Recollect  the 

defence   of  the   lines   was    founded,  fate  of  the  British  army  at  Bunker's 

"  Remember  the  loss  of  the  British  Hill,  attacking  slight  works  defended 

army  before  Ticonderoga   last  war,  by  new-levied  troops." 


CHAPTER    XII. 

Fall  of  Fort  Lee.  —  DiflFerent  Accounts  of  it.  —  Retreat  through  the 
Jerseys.  —  Greene's  Hopes.  —  Letters.  —  Inefficiency  of  Congress.  — 
Embarrassments  of  Washington's  Position.  —  Ampler  Powers  con- 
ferred on  ^V^ashington.  —  Greene  to  Governor  Cooke. 

"  rilHE  loss  of  Fort  Washington  rendered  Fort  Lee 
J-  useless  ;  his  Excellency  ordered  its  evacuation  ac- 
cordingly. All  the  valuable  stores  accordingly  were  sent 
off.  Tlie  enemy  got  intelligence  of  it;  and,  as  they  were 
in  possession  of  Harlem  river,  brought  their  boats  through 
tliat  pass  without  our  notice.  They  crossed  the  river  in 
a  very  rainy  night,  and  landed,  about  five  miles  above  the 
fort,  about  six  thousand,  —  most  accounts  say  eight  thou- 
sand. We  had  then  at  Fort  Lee  only  between  two  and 
three  thousand  effective  men.  His  Excellency  ordered 
a  retreat  immediately.  We  lost  considerable  baggage,  for 
want  of  wagons,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  stores. 
We  had  about  ninety  or  a  hundred  prisoners  taken,  but 
these  were  a  set  of  rascals  that  skulked  out  of  the  way  for 
fear  of  fighting.  The  troops  at  Fort  Lee  were  mostly  of 
the  flying  camp,  irregular  and  undisciplined  ;  had  they 
obeyed  orders,  not  a  man  would  have  been  taken. 

"  I  returned  to  the  camp  two  hours  after  the  troops 
marched  off.  Colonel  Cornwell  and  myself  got  off  sev- 
eral hundred  ;  yet,  notwithstanding  all  our  endeavors,  still 
near  a  hundred  remained  hid  about  the  woods.  We  re- 
treated to  Hacken.sack,  from  Hackensack  to  Equacanach, 
from  Equacanach  to  Newark,  from  Newark  to  Brunswick, 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.IEL    GREENE.  277 

from  Brunswick  to  this  place  [Trenton]  ;  here  we  are, 
endeavoring  to  collect  a  sufficient  force  to  give  the  enemy 
battle,  or  at  least  to  stop  their  progress." 

Such  is  Greene's  summary  to  Governor  Cooke 
of  the  busy,  anxious  fortnight  which  followed  the 
fall  of  Fort  Washington.  A  careful  comparison 
with  other  authorities  shows  that,  though  perfectly 
accurate  in  every  other  respect,  he  has  fliiled  to 
do  justice  to  his  own  share  in  these  interesting 
transactions.  The  day  after  the  surrender,  Wash- 
ington had  returned  to  Hackensack,  where  the 
troops  he  had  taken  over  the  river  with  him  were 
posted. 

"  The  much  greater  part  of  the  enemy,"  Greene  wrote 
him  on  the  18th,  "  marched  off  from  Fort  Washington, 
and  above  King's  Bridge,  this  morning.  Their  route  ap- 
peared to  be  towards  New  York.  One  of  the  train  of 
artillery  came  across  the  river  last  night  on  a  raft.  By 
this  account,  the  enemy  must  have  suffered  greatly  on  the 
north  side  of  Fort  Washington.  Colonel  Rawlings's  regi- 
ment was  posted  there,  and  behaved  with  great  spirit. 
Colonel  Magaw  could  not  get  the  men  to  man  the  lines  ; 
otherwise,  he  would  not  have  given  up  the  fort. 

"  I  am  sending  off  the  stores  as  fast  as  I  can  get  wag- 
ons. I  have  sent  three  expresses  to  Newark  for  boats, 
but  can  get  no  return  of  what  boats  we  may  expect  from 
that  place.  The  stores  here  are  large,  and  the  transpor- 
tation by  land  will  be  almost  endless.  The  powder  and 
fixed  ammunition  I  have  sent  off  first  by  land,  as  it  is  an 
article  too  valuable  to  trust  upon  tlie  water. 

"  Our  Bergen  guard  were  alarmed  last  night,  but  be- 
lieve without  reason." 


278  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

The  night  of  the  19th  was  dark  and  rainy;  and 
the  guards  that  had  been  stationed  along  the  Pali- 
sades to  observe  the  movements  of  the  enemy  kept 
such  slack  watch  that  he  made  good  his  landing 
at  Closter,  five  miles  above  Fort  Lee,  before  they 
gave  the  alarm.  "Then  an  ofhcer,"  says  Paine, 
who  was  at  the  Fort  as  Greene's  volunteer  aid, 
"  posted  down  to  Fort  Lee,  with  the  tidings."  -^ 
Greene  instantly  despatched  an  express  to  Wash- 
ington, at  Hackensack ;  and,  ordering  the  garrison 
under  arms,  put  them  in  motion  for  the  head  of 
the  English  Neighborhood,  —  a  small  stream  which, 
with  the  Hackensack  (neither  of  them  fordable 
near  the  fort),  formed  the  western  boundary  of  the 
narrow  neck  of  land  on  which  the  fort  stood. 
There  was  no  time  for  hesitation ;  for  Cornwallis, 
the  most  active  of  the  English  generals,  —  Greene's 
future  antagonist  in  the  Carolinas, —  had  but  a 
mile  and  a  half  to  march  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of 
the  Americans,  and  Greene  five  to  secure  it.  Hur- 
rying his  men  over  the  ground,  he  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  head  of  the  creek  before  the  enemy 
came  up,  and  thus  securing  the  road  to  the  bridge 
over  the  Hackensack.  Here  he  drew  up  his  little 
army,  with  their  front  towards  the  enemy ;  and, 
while  Washington,  who  had  now  joined  him,  held 
them  at  bay,  hastened  back  to  the  fort,  collected  a 
large  body  of  stragglers,  —  nearly  three  hundred  in 
all,  —  and  conveyed  them  in  safety  across  the  river. 

1  Crisis,  No.  I.     Force,  American  Archives,  .^th  Series,  Vol.  III.  p.  1291. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  279 

Such  was  Greene's  first  measuring  of  swords  with 
Cornwallis.^ 

The  remainder  of  the  retreat  to  the  banks  of 
the  Delaware  —  "the  mud  rounds,"  as  the  soldiers 
called  it  —  was  conducted  by  Washington  in  jDcr- 
son,  with  Greene  most  of  the  time  at  his  side,  and 
deeper  than  ever  in  his  counsels.  This  was  the 
darkest  hour  of  the  war.  "  It  is  impossible  for  me," 
wrote  Washington  to  his  brother,  John  Augustine, 
on  the  19th  of  November,  "in  the  compass  of  a 
letter,  to  give  you  any  idea  of  our  situation ;  of 
my  difficulties,  and  of  the  constant  perplexities 
and  mortifications  I  meet  with,  derived  from  the 
unhappy  policy  of  short  enlistments,  and  de- 
laying them  too  long."  ^  A  month  passed,  and  he 
writes  again  to  the  same  brother,  "In  a  word,  my 
dear  sir,  if  every  nerve  is  not  strained  to  recruit 
the  new  army  with  all  possible  expedition,  I  think 
the  game  is  pretty  nearly  up."^  The  tone  of 
Greene's  letters  is  more  hopeful.  The  stern  ex- 
citement of  the  close-drawn  contest  seems  to  have 
given  an  elastic  energy  to  his  feelings,  without 
clouding  his  judgment.  He  sees  whence  the  evil 
comes,  and  W'here  the  danger  lies,  but  finds 
grounds  of  hope  even  in  the  very  clearness  of  his 
perceptions. 

*  In  this  account  I  have  followed  sitions   of  the   army  in   the  various 

Gordon,  who  differs  from  the  author  movements   round   New    York,   etc. 

of  "  The  Crisis  "  (Tom  Paine).    Gor-  during  this  campaign.  —  GreenePa- 

don  was  very  minute  in  his  inquiries,  pers,  letters  of  Gordon  and  Greene, 

and  General  Greene  marked  out  for  ^  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p    184. 

him,  at  his  written  request,  the  po-  ^  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p.  231. 


280  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

"  We  have  had,"  he  writes  to  Governor  Cooke  on  the 
4th  of  December,  "  anotlier  convincing  proof  of  the  folly  of 
short  enlistments  :  the  time  for  which  the  five  months'  men 
were  engaged  expired  at  this  actual  period  "  (during 
the  retreat,  that  is,  from  Hackensack).  "  Two  brigades 
left  us  at  Brunswick,  notwithstanding  the  enemy  were 
within  two  hours'  march  and  coming  on.  The  loss  of 
these  troops  at  this  critical  time  reduced  his  Excel- 
lency to  the  necessity  to  order  a  retreat  again.  Here 
[Trenton]  we  are  endeavoring  to  draw  our  forces  to- 
gether. The  Philadelphia  and  Pennsylvania  militia  turn 
out  with  great  spirit,  but  the  Jersey  militia  behaves  scur- 
vily,aud  I  fear  are  not  deserving  the  freedom  we  are  con- 
tending for.  General  Lee  is  on  his  march  for  this  place, 
and  part  of  the  Ticonderoga  troops.  When  we  get  col- 
lected together,  I  am  in  hopes  it  will  be  a  respectable 
body  of  troops. 

"  The  enemy  spread  desolation  wherever  they  go ;  the 
British  and  Hessian  troops  plunder,  without  distinction, 
Whig  and  Tory  ;  all  fare  alike. 

"  I  am  in  hopes  the  General  will  give  orders  to  advance 
upon  the  enemy  to-morrow  :  our  numbers  are  still  small, 
not  to  exceed  5,000,  but  daily  increasing.  When  we  left 
Brunswick  we  had  not  3,000  men,  —  a  very  pitiful  army 
to  trust  the  liberties  of  America  upon.  Tiie  American 
States  should  establish  their  militia  upon  the  British 
plan  :  they  would  be  a  much  better  body  of  troops ;  it 
would  do  less  injury  to  husbandry,  manufactures,  and 
commerce  than  upon  the  present  establishment.  The 
distresses  of  the  people  would  be  infinitely  less,  for  those 
to  whose  lot  it  fell  to  serve  would  naturally  accommodate 
their  business  to  their  situation.  A  militia  upon  the 
British  establishment  are  a  respectable  body  of  troops,  and 
afford  a  great  internal  security  to  a  state.  They  are  sub- 
ject to  such  a  degree  of  discipline  and  order  as  renders 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  281 

them  formidable  ;  and,  without  ttiat,  numbers  are  useless, 
nay,  distressing,  for  you  cannot  bring  them  to  act  to  any 
one  point,  and  you  have  a  great  many  useless  and  un- 
profitable mouths  to  feed I  wish  the  enlisting  may 

go  on  favorably,  but  I  fear  the  contrary :  the  success  of 
privateering  has  set  all  the  troops  distracted.  'T  is  im- 
possible to  oppose  the  enemy  successfully  without  a  good, 
firm  body  of  troops,  subject  to  proper  discipline  and  well 
officered.  Our  men  are  good  ;  nothing  is  wanting  but 
officers  and  discipline  to  make  the  American  troops  equal 
to  any  in  the  world. 

"  The  situation  this  army  was  in  when  I  wrote  you 
last,"  he  writes  to  his  wife  on  the  same  day,  "  must  nat- 
urally alarm  your  fears.  The  enemy  have  since  pressed 
us  very  hard  from  place  to  place.  The  time  for  which 
our  troops  were  engaged  expired,  and  they  went  off  by 
whole  brigades,  notwithstanding  the  enemy  lay  within  two 
or  three  hours'  march  of  us,  and  our  force  remaining  not 
near  half  equal  to  theirs.  The  virtue  of  the  Americans 
is  put  to  a  trial :  if  they  turn  out  with  spirit,  all  will  go 
on  well  ;  but  if  the  militia  refuses  their  aid,  the  people 
must  submit  to  the  servitude  they  deserve.  But  I  think 
it  is  impossible  that  Americans  can  behave  so  poltroonish. 
The  militia  of  Pennsylvania,  and  particularly  of  Pliila- 
delphia,  are  coming  in  by  thousands.  In  a  day  or  two  I 
hope  to  advance  upon  the  enemy,  and  drive  them  back  as 
fast  as  they  drove  us  in.  We  are  making  every  disposi- 
tion to  advance  upon  the  enemy,  and  by  to-morrow  I  hope 
the  General  will  issue  his  orders  to  move  forward. 

"  The  troops  of  Maryland  and  Virginia  have  orders  to 
move  forward  to  stop  the  ravages  of  the  enemy.  Their 
footsteps  are  marked  with  destruction  wherever  they  go. 
There  is  no  diffi3rence  made  between  the  Wliigs  and  Tories; 
all  fare  alike.     They  take  the  clothes  off  on  the  people's 


282  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

back.  The  distress  they  spread  wherever  they  go  exceeds 
all  description. 

"  I  hope  to  God  you  have  not  set  forward  for  this  place 
from  what  I  wrote  you  last.  Continue  at  home,  my  dear, 
if  you  wish  to  enjoy  the  least  share  of  happiness.  Sev- 
enty sail  of  the  enemy's  fleet  sailed  a  few  days  past,  their 
destination  unknown  :  but  't  is  suggested  by  many  they 
were  bound  for  Rhode  Island  ;  but  I  rather  suppose  them 
to  be  going  to  the  southward.  The  climate  will  favor 
their  operations  much  more  than  the  Northern  States. 

"  What  is  the  news  amongst  you  ?  Tiie  loss  of  Fort 
Washington  and  the  enemy's  late  movements  weighed, 
down  the  spirits  of  the  people.  Tell  Dr.  Senter  to  write 
me  how  recruiting  goes  on,  and  the  temper  of  the  people, 
the  success  of  the  privateers,  and  everything  of  an  inter- 
esting nature. 

"  I  am  hearty  and  well  amidst  all  the  fatigues  and 
hardships  I  endure.  I  hope  you  enjoy  your  health  and 
the  comj)any  of  all  your  friends  about  you.  Be  of  good 
courage  ;  don't  be  distressed  :  all  things  will  turn  out  for 
the  best.  I  wish  you  abundant  happiness,  and  am  affec- 
tionately yours." 

It  is  evident  that  these  letters  were  written  in 
great  haste  and  amid  frequent  interruptions,  —  haste 
and  interruptions  which  show  what  a  life  he  was 
leading.  It  was  evident,  too,  that,  while  he  was 
not  afraid  to  look  the  danger  full  in  the  iace, 
he  was  resolved  to  make  the  most  of  every  favor- 
able circumstance,  and  paint  things  in  as  bright 
colors  as  he  could  without  awakening  unfounded 
expectations. 

On  the  7th,  three  days  after  this  last  letter  to 
his  wife,  we  find  him  at  Princeton,  writing  to  Wash- 
ington  at  Trenton  :  — 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  283 

"  Lord  Stirling  will  write  by  the  same  express  that  this 
comes  by,  and  enclose  your  Excellency  several  pieces  of 
intelligence  obtained  of  different  people  yesterday.  His 
Lordship  thinks  the  enemy  are  making  a  disposition  to 
advance  :  for  my  part,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  determine  whether 
their  disposition  is  to  advance,  or  for  defence.  Tlie  enemy 
have  got  a  party  advanced  about  seven  miles  tliis  side 
Brunswick  ;  another  at  Brunswick,  with  an  advance  of 
guard  two  miles  this  side  of  the  town.  'Tis  reported  by 
some  of  the  country  people  that  the  enemy  intend  to  ad- 
vance in  two  columns  ;  one  this,  the  other  the  Boundbrook 
road.  General  Mercer  advanced  upon  this  road,  and  I 
should  think  the  German  battalion  might  be  advanta- 
geously posted  on  the  other  road. 

"  Major^Clarke  reports  General  Lee  is  at  the  heels  of 
the  enemy.  I  should  think  he  had  better  keep  upon  the 
flanks  than  upon  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  unless  it  were 
possible  to  concert  an  attack  at  the  same  instant  of  time 
in  front  and  rear. 

"  Our  retreat  should  not  be  neglected,  for  fear  of  con- 
sequences. The  bottom  of  the  river  should  be  examined, 
and  see  if  the  boats  can  be  anchored  in  the  ferry-way. 
If  there  is  no  anchor-ground,  the  bridge  must  be  thrown 
over  below.  Colonel  Biddle  had  better  make  a  trial  im- 
mediately, that  we  may  not  be  in  confusion.  If  a  bridge 
cannot  be  thrown  over,  forty  boats  should  be  manned 
under  the  care  of  a  good  officer,  and  held  in  readiness  ; 
with  these  boats,  prudently  managed,  the  troops  could  be 
thrown  over  in  a  very  short  time.  Methinks  all  the 
cannon  that  don't  come  forward  with  the  army  might 
be  well  posted  on  the  other  side  the  river  to  cover 
a  retreat. 

"  I  think  General  Lee  must  be  confined  within  the 
limits  of  some  general  plan,  or  else  his  operations  will  be 


284  LIFE   OF   NATHAN.VEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

independent  of  yours.  His  own  troops,  General  St. 
Clair's,  and  tlie  militia  must  form  a  respectable  body. 

"  If  General  Dickinson  would  engage  the  militia  for 
some  given  time,  there  might  be  some  dependence  upon 
them ;  but  no  operation  can  be  safely  planned  wherein 
they  are  to  act  a  part,  unless  they  can  be  bound  by 
some  further  tie  than  the  common  obligation  of  a  militia- 
man. I  think  if  the  General  was  at  length  to  engage  his 
militia  on  some  such  plan,  your  Excellency  might  take 
your  measures  accordingly. 

"  Tliis  moment  a  captain  has  returned  that  went  to 
reconnoitre  last  night,  and  it  is  beyond  a  doubt  the  enemy 
are  advancing ;  and  my  Lord  Stirling  thinks  they  will  be 
up  here  by  twelve  o'clock.  I  shall  make  the  best  disposi- 
tion I  can  to  oppose  them." 

The  hope  of  making  a  stand  was  not  realized ; 
and  again  the  little  army  turned  its  face  towards 
the  Delaware,  its  ranks  growing  thinner  at  every 
step. 

"  The  last  time  I  wrote  you  was  at  Trenton,"  he  writes 
to  his  wife  on  the  16th  from  Coryell's  Ferry,  on  the  Dela- 
ware, forty  miles  above  Philadelphia  ;  "  since  which,  the 
enemy  have  reduced  us  to  the  necessity  to  pass  the  Dela- 
ware. We  have  been  endeavoring  to  draw  a  force  to- 
gether to  check  General  Howe's  progress  ;  but  the  militia 
of  New  Jersey  have  been  so  friglited,  and  the  Pennsyl- 
vania milita  so  disaffected,  that  our  endeavors  have  been 
ineffectual.  The  troops  under  the  command  of  General 
Lee  we  expect  to  join  us  to-day,  but  without  the  General, 
who  liad  the  misfortune  to  be  made  a  prisoner  on  Friday 
last  by  a  party  of  light-horse.  The  General,  by  some 
strange  infatuation, was  led  from  tlie  army  four  miles; 
the  Tories  gave  information  of  his  situation,  and  a  party 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  285 

of  light-horse  came  eighteen  miles,  and  seized  and  carried 
him  off.  This  is  a  great  loss  to  the  American  States,  as  he 
is  a  most  consummate  General.  Fortune  seems  to  frown 
upon  the  cause  of  freedom  ;  a  combination  of  evils  are 
pressing  in  upon  us  on  all  sides.  However,  I  hope  this 
is  the  dark  part  of  the  night,  which  generally  is  just 
before  day.  The  Tories  are  the  cursedest  rascals  amongst 
us,  —  the  most  wicked,  villanous,  and  oppressive.  Tliey 
lead  the  relentless  foreigners  to  the  houses  of  their 
neighbors,  and  strip  the  poor  women  and  children  of 
everything  they  have  to  eat  or  wear ;  and  after  plundering 
them  in  this  sort,  the  brutes  often  ravish  the  mothers  and 
daughters^  and  compel  the  fathers  and  sons  to  behold 
their  brutality  ;    many  have  fallen  sacrifices  in  this  way. 

"  The  Tories  have  done  us  more  injury  than  they  can 
repair  during  their  generation.  Beware  of  those  mis- 
creants ;  watch  them  narrowly. 

"  I  hear  a  fleet  and  army  have  made  good  their  landing 
at  Rhode  Island.  God  forbid  they  should  penetrate  into 
the  country  with  you  as  with  us.  But  if  the  New  Eng- 
land virtue  is  not  greater  than  it  is  here,  God  knows 
what  the  consequence  will  be.  The  militia  of  the  city  of 
Philadelphia  are  the  only  people  that  have  shown  a  dis- 
position to  support  the  cause. 

"  The  enemy  are  now  retreating  into  winter  quarters, 
as  they  say ;  but  perhaps  't  is  only  a  feint  to  amuse,  to 
try  to  surprise  us.  We  must  be  on  our  guard,  which  I 
hope  we  shall. 

"The  Eastern  delegates  applied  to  his  Excellency 
General  Washington  to  permit  me  to  go  to  New  England 
to  take  the  command  there  ;  but  the  General  would  not 
permit  me  to  go.  I  am  impatient  to  hear  how  matters 
stand  with  you,  —  what  opposition  is  forming,  and  how 
the  recruiting  service  goes  on. 

"  We  have  pleasing  accounts  from  Yirginia  and  Mary- 


286  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

land  witli  respect  to  the  recruiting  service  ;  the  regiments 
are  filling  very  fast.  We  are  fortifying  the  city  of  Phil- 
adelphia, and  doubt  not  we  shall  be  able  to  keep  the 
enemy  out  this  winter.  The  city  is  under  martial  law; 
the  Quakers  horridly  frighted  for  fear  the  city  should  be 
burnt.  The  ravages  of  the  Jerseys  is  shocking  to  be- 
hold. 

"  I  have  no  hope  of  coming  to  New  England  this 
winter.  I  enjoy  my  health  perfectly  well.  I  feel  a  great 
deal  of  anxiety  for  your  sake.  God  bless  you  with 
health,  and  comfort  you  during  our  separation.  Any- 
thing you  want  my  brethren  will  furnish  you ;  don't  be 
afraid  to  apply.  I  should  be  happy  to  receive  a  line,  if  it 
can  come  by  a  safe  hand ;  but  if  you  cannot  write  by 
some  safe  hand,  don't  write  at  all,  for  it 's  uncertain  whose 
hands  it  may  fall  into.  Remember  my  love  to  my  breth- 
ren, and  to  all  inquiring  friends. 

"  The  Continental  currency  the  Tories  are  endeavoring 
to  destroy  :  the  credit  is  almost  lost  in  the  Jerseys,  and 
much  injured  in  this  State.  However,  a  good  army  will 
soon  repair  the  credit,  and  nothing  else.  Much  depends 
upon  New  England  this  winter. 

"  I  must  bid  you  adieu,  being  called  in  haste.  Fare- 
well, my  dear.  Kiss  our  little  pledges  of  mutual  affec- 
tion, whom  I  long  to  see. 


J' 


The  reader  will  hardly  have  forgotten  Greene's 
letter  from  Fort  Lee  about  the  "  o-eneral  and  rem- 
mental  hospitals."  It  is  pleasant  to  find  that, 
even  in  the  midst  of  this  general -depression,  he 
never  loses  sight  of  the  great  questions  of  organ- 
ization :  — 

"  I  take  the  liberty  to  recommend  Doctor  "Warren  to 
Congress,"  he  writes  to  the  President  on  the  16th,  "  as  a 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  287 

very  suitable  person  to  receive  an  appointment  of  a  sub- 
director,  which  I  am  informed  tliey  are  about  to  create  a 
number  of.  Dr.  Warren  has  given  great  satisfaction  wliere 
he  has  had  the  direction  of  business.  He  is  a  young 
gentleman  of  ability,  humanity,  and  great  application  to 
business. 

"  I  feel  a  degree  of  happiness  that  the  Congress  are 
going  to  put  the  hospital  department  upon  a  better  estab- 
lishment ;  for  the  sick  this  campaign  have  suffered  beyond 
description,  and  shocking  to  humanity.  For  my  own 
part,  I  have  never  felt  any  distress  equal  to  what  the 
sufferings  of  the  sick  have  occasioned,  and  am  confident 
that  nothing  will  injure  the  recruiting  service  so  much  as 
the  dissatisfaction  arising  upon  that  head." 

But  a  still  more  important  question  was  now 
forcing  itself  upon  his  attention ;  a  question  which, 
in  those  critical  moments,  must  have  been  the  sub- 
ject of  frequent  and  earnest  discussion  between 
him  and  Washino;ton.  Amono;  the  mistakes  and 
evils  which  this  eventful  year  had  revealed,  there 
was  none  graver  or  more  evident  than  the  inability 
of  Congress  to  cope  with  the  new  and  urgent  ex- 
ecutive questions  which  every  day  brought  forth. 

The  most  serious  embarrassments  against  which 
Washing;ton  had  to  contend  arose  from  the  ne- 
cessity  of  constantly  referring  to  Congress  for 
authority,  and  asking  their  advice  where  he  ought 
to  have  controlled  their  resolves.  Upon  all  the 
important  questions  that  had  arisen  in  that  body, 
there  had,  from  the  beginning,  been  serious  dif- 
ferences of  opinion ;  sectional  jealousies  and  per- 
sonal jealousies  mingling  largely  in  every  discus- 


288  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

sion,  and  preparing  the  way  for  those  dangerous 
intrigues  which,  in  the  course  of  the  following 
year,  attained  their  full  measure  of  malignity  in 
the  Conway  cabal.  The  voices  of  a  few  wise  men 
were  drowned  in  the  clamor  of  a  majority  jealous 
of  military  power,  and  unable  to  use  their  own 
power  effectively.  It  was  Congress  that  held  on  to 
the  fatal  system  of  short  enlistments,  until  the 
time  for  securing  an  army  for  the  war  was  passed. 
It  was  Congress  that  wasted  precious  days  in 
debate,  when  circumstances  called  for  prompt  and 
decisive  action.  Nor  was  the  personal  conduct  of 
individual  members  in  perfect  harmony  with  their 
professions.  At  this  very  time,  when  the  fate  of 
the  war  was  trembling  in  the  balance,  and  every 
man  should  have  been  at  his  post,  John  Adams, 
although  a  member  of  the  board  of  war,  w\as  in- 
dulging himself  in  a  three  months'  visit  to  his 
family  in  Massachusetts.^  It  was  evident  to  the 
men  upon  whom  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day 
fell,  that  the  scattered  powers  of  Congress  must, 
for  a  time  at  least,  be  concentrated  in  a  single 
hand,  and  Washington  authorized  to  do  whatever 
the  occasion  required,  without  waiting  to  consult 
a  distant  and  dilatory  assembly.  In  this  delicate 
and  emljarrassing  situation,  Washington  seems  to 
have  placed  his  chief  reliance  upon  Greene ;  and 
sorely  must  Greene  have  felt  the  loss  of  Samuel 

1  Life  and  Works  of  John  Adams,  it  was  a  great  error  of  judgment  in 
Vol.  L  p.  257.  No  one  can  call  Mr.  him  to  absent  himself  from  Congress 
Adams's  patriotism  in  question  ;  but    at  this  critical  moment. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  89 

Ward,  through  whom  he  might  have  brought  the 
subject  before  Congress  without  exposing  either 
Washington  or  himself  to  the  sus23icion  of  seeking 
to  augment  the  mihtary  power  at  the  expense  of 
the  civil  power.  But  there  was  no  time  for  hesita- 
tion. Washington  wrote  on  the  20th,  with  his 
usual  frankness  and  good  sense,  Greene  on  the 
21st:  — 

"  Although  I  am  far  from  thinking  the  American  cause 
desperate,  yet  I  conceive  it  to  be  in  a  critical  situation. 
The  enemy  in  the  heart  of  the  country ;  the  disaffected 
daily  increasing  ;  the  Continental  money  losing  its  cur- 
rency ;  the  time  for  which  the  troops  stand  engaged  al- 
most ready  to  expire  ;  very  few  enlisted  upon  the  new 
establishment ;  the  tide  of  public  sentiment  at  a  stand, 
and  ready  to  run  tlirough  different  channels  ;  the  people 
refusing  to  supply  the  army  under  various  pretences,  but 
evidently  from  a  disaffection  to  the  cause  and  to  the 
currency,  —  are  combined  evils  calculated  to  pave  the  way 
for  General  Howe's  advances  ;  who,  having  cantoned  his 
troops  advantageously,  stands  prepared  to  take  advantage 
of  those  circumstances  wliich,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  afford 
him  but  too  favorable  a  prospect.  It  is  necessary,  in  addi- 
tion to  this  disagreeable  train  of  evils,  that  the  different 
corps  of  officers  who  are  discontented  and  unsatisfied, 
either  from  a  real  or  supposed  injury  in  their  appoint- 
ments from  the  different  States,  should  be  reconciled  ; 
that  recruiting  may  go  on  with  spirit ;  that  there  should 
be  an  augmentation  of  our  force,  and  a  larger  train  of 
artillery. 

"  Effectually  to  remedy  those  evils  and  oppose  the  en- 
emy ;  to  put  the  recruiting  service  in  a  favorable  train  ; 
to  establish  the  artillery  and  elaboratory  upon  a  proper 

19 


290  LIFE    OF   NATIL\NAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

footing  ;  to  check  the  disafFected  and  call  out  assistance  ; 
to  give  a  currency  to  the  Continental  money,  and  form 
the  necessary  magazines,  —  greater  powers  must  be  lodged 
in  the  hands  of  the  General  than  he  has  ever  yet  exer- 
cised. It  is  impossible,  in  his  present  situation  and  the 
short  time  he  has  to  prepare  for  the  ensuing  campaign, 
for  him  to  be  in  readiness  so  early  as  General  Howe  will 
take  the  field,  unless  you  delegate  to  him  full  power  to 
take  such  measures  as  he  may  find  necessary  to  promote 
the  establishment  of  the  new  army.  Time  will  not  ad- 
mit nor  circumstances  allow  of  a  reference  to  Congress. 

"  I  can  see  no  evil  nor  danger  to  the  States  in  delegat- 
ing such  powers  to  the  General,  reserving  to  yourselves 
the  right  of  confirming  or  repealing  the  measures.  The 
General  should  have  power  to  appoint  officers  to  enlist  at 
large.  This  is  no  time  to  be  particular  about  proportions 
or  attentive  to  economy.  The  measure  of  our  force 
should  be  the  extent  of  our  funds. 

"  We  have  a  formidable  enemy  to  oppose,  whose  prog- 
ress can  only  be  checked  by  a  superior  force  ;  and  liow- 
ever  disagreeable  the  reflections,  this  is  a  serious  truth, 
that  the  present  existence  of  the  civil  depends  upon  the 
military  power.  I  am  no  advocate  for  the  extension  of 
military  power  ;  neither  would  I  advise  it  at  present,  but 
from  the  fullest  conviction  of  its  being  absolutely  neces- 
sary. Remember  the  policy  of  the  Romans,  a  people  as  te- 
nacious of  their  liberties  as  any  on  earth.  When  their  state 
was  invaded,  they  delegated  full  powers  to  exert  their 
whole  forces.  The  state  of  war  is  so  uncertain,  depend- 
ent upon  so  many  contingencies ;  a  day,  nay,  an  hour,  is 
so  important  in  the  crisis  of  public  affairs,  —  that  it  would 
be  folly  to  wait  for  relief  from  the  deliberative  councils  of 
legislative  bodies.  The  virtue  of  the  people,  at  such  an 
hour,  is  not  to  be  trusted-;  and  I  can  assure  you  that  the 
General  will  not  exceed  his  powers,  though  he  may  sacri 


irre.]  life  of  nathanael  greene.  291 

fice  the  cause.  There  never  was  a  man  that  might  be 
more  safely  trusted,  nor  a  time  when  there  was  a  louder 
call.  If  you  intend  to  support  your  independence,  you 
must  not  be  too  delicate  in  the  choice  of  means. 

"  Examples  are  daily  made  by  General  Howe  of  our 
friends  who  fall  in  his  way,  while  those  who  are  disaffected 
to  our  cause  are  suffered  to  remain  in  peace  and  quiet 
amongst  us.  Many  who  are  now  well  affected  will  be  in- 
duced, from  the  risk  and  danger  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
apparent  security  on  the  other,  to  change  their  sentiments. 
A  discretionary  power  to  punish  the  disaffected  is  neces- 
sary. The  militia  have  refused  to  turn  out  when  there 
has  been  the  greatest  want  of  their  assistance,  and  noth- 
ing but  such  a  power  can  ever  compel  them.  If  the  re- 
fusal of  the  Continental  money,  and  the  withholding  of  the 
necessary  supplies  from  the  army,  for  want  of  such  a 
power  in  the  General,  are  to  pass  unpunished,  the  one 
will  put  it  out  of  our  power  to  pay,  and  the  other  to  sup- 
port the  troops,  and  consequently  must  lay  the  founda- 
tions of  all  oppositions." 

Both  letters  were  laid  before  Congress  on  the 
26th.  A  step  in  the  direction  which  they  sug- 
gested had  already  been  taken  by  a  resolution  of 
the  12th,  the  day  of  the  adjournment  to  Balti- 
more, declaring  "  that,  until  the  Congress  shall 
otherwise  order,  the  General  be  possessed  of  full 
power  to  order  and  direct  all  things  relative  to  the 
department,  and  to  the  operations  of  war."  ^  After 
hearino;  Washins-ton  and  Greene's  letters,  the  sub- 
ject  of  ampler  powers  was  discussed  in  committee 
of  the  whole,  and  decided  affirmatively  on  the  2Tth, 

1  Journals  of  Congress,  December  12,  1776. 


292  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL   GREENE.  [1776. 

the  second  day  of  the  discussion,  though  by  what 
majority  the  meagre  journals  do  not  tell. 

"  This  Congress,  having  maturely  considered  tlie  pres- 
ent crisis,  and  having  perfect  reliance  on  the  wisdom, 
vigor,  and  uprightness  of  General  Washington,  do  hereby 

Resolve^  That  General  Washington  shall  be,  and  he 
is  hereby,  vested  with  full,  ample,  and  complete  powers 
to  raise  and  collect  together,  in  the  most  speedy  and 
effectual  manner,  from  any  or  all  of  these  United  States, 
sixteen  battalions  of  infantry,  in  addition  to  those  already 
voted  by  Congress  ;  to  appoint  officers  for  the  said  battal- 
ions of  infantry ;  to  raise,  officer,  and  equip  three  thou- 
sand light-horse,  three  regiments  of  artillery,  and  a  corps 
of  engineers,  and  to  establish  their  pay  ;  to  apply  to  any 
of  the  States  for  such  aid  of  the  militia  as  he  shall  judge 
necessary ;  to  form  such  magazines  of  provisions,  and  in 
such  places,  as  he  shall  think  proper  ;  to  displace  and  ap- 
point all  officers  under  the  rank  of  brigadier-general ; 
and  to  fill  up  all  vacancies  in  every  other  department  in 
the  American  army  ;  to  take,  wherever  he  may  be,  what 
ever  he  may  want  for  the  use  of  the  army,  if  the  inhabi- 
tants will  not  sell  it,  allowing  a  reasonable  price  for  the 
same;  to  arrest  and  confine  the  persons  who  refuse  to 
take  tlie  Continental  currency,  or  are  otherwise  disaf- 
fected to  the  American  cause,  and  return  to  the  States 
of  which  they  are  citizens  their  names  and  the  nature  of 
their  offences,  together  with  the  witness  to  prove  them. 

"  That  the  foregoing  powers  be  vested  in  General 
Washington,  for  and  during  the  term  of  six  months 
from  the  date  hereof,  unless  sooner  determined  by 
Congress."^ 

Great   must   Greene's    satisfaction    have   been 

1  Journals  of  Congress,  December  27,  177G. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  293 

when  he  read  these  resolutions ;  and  it  is  impos- 
sible not  to  regret  that  when  he  and  Washing- 
ton met,  there  was  no  one  by  to  tell  us  how  cor- 
dially they  grasped  each  other's  hand,  and  with 
what  a  clearing  up  of  the  brow  they  sat  down  to 
look  over  the  new  field  together.^  Of  Greene's 
feelings  some  idea  may  be  formed  from  a  letter  to 
Governor  Cooke,  which  he  wrote  with  a  pen  still 
fresh  from  the  memorable  letter  to  the  President 
of  Congress. 

"  By  your  letter  to  General  Washington,  I  find  the 
British  troops  have  landed  on  Rhode  Island.  Although 
I  am  sorry  my  own  country  should  be  subject  to  their 
ravages,  yet  I  rejoice  that  they  are  surrounded  by  a 
people  who  are  united  and  firmly  determined  in  opposi- 
tion. You  may  be  subject  to  a  partial  evil,  but  Amer- 
ica cannot  fail  to  reap  the  advantage.  You  think  you  are 
greatly  infested  with  the  Tories  and  disaffected,  but 
there  is  but  the  shadow  of  disaffection  with  you  to  what 
there  is  here.  The  Friends,  or  Quakers,  are  almost  to 
a  man  disaffected.  Many  have  the  effrontery  to  refuse 
the  Continental  currency.  This  line  of  conduct  cannot 
fail  of  drawing  down  the  resentment  of  the  people  upon 
them.  The  fright  and  disaffection  was  so  great  in  the 
Jerseys,  that,  in  our  retreat  of  one  hundred  and  odd 
miles,  we  were  never  joined  by  more  than  a  hundred  men. 
I  dare  say,  had  that  army  been  in  New  England,  we  should 
not  have  been  under  the  necessity  of  retreating  twenty 
miles.  We  are  now  on  the  west  side  of  the  Delaware  ; 
our  force,  though  small,  collected  together.  But,  small  as 
it  is,  I  hope  to  give  the  enemy  a  stroke  in  a  few  days. 

1  How  the  army  viewed  this  Dictatorship  may  be  seen  in  Thacher's  Mili- 
tary Journal,  p.  74. 


294  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

Should  fortune  favor  the  attack,  perhaps  it  may  put  a 
stop  to  General  Howe's  progress.  His  ravages  in  the  Jer- 
seys exceeds  all  description, — men  slaughtered,  women 
ravished,  and  houses  plundered,  little  girls  not  ten  years 
old  ravished,  mothers  and  daughters  ravished  in  the 
presence  of  the  husbands  and  sons  who  were  obliged  to 
be  spectators  to  their  brutal  conduct. 

"  I  think,  notwithstanding  the  general  disaffection  of 
a  certain  order  of  people,  the  army  will  fill  up.  Should 
that  bo  the  case,  nothing  is  to  be  feared. 

"  By  a  vessel  just  arrived  from  France  with  a  valuable 
cargo,  we  learn  a  French  war  is  inevitable. 

"  Short  enlistments  has  been  in  a  great  measure  the 
source  of  all  the  misfortunes  that  we  labor  under,  though, 
thank  God !  but  few  to  what  we  at  first  expected.  The 
Congress,  in  the  infancy  of  politics,  could  not  be  brought 
to  believe  many  serious  truths.  By  attending  to  specula- 
tive principles,  rather  than  real  life,  their  maxims  in  war 
have  been  founded  in  folly.  However,  experience  ripens 
judgment,  and  enables  to  correct  many  an  error  in  busi- 
ness that,  at  first,  we  could  not  conceive  of ;  and  I  don't 
doubt  the  Congress,  in  time,  will  be  as  able  politicians 
in  military  matters  as  they  are  in  civil  government. 

"  The  Eastern  delegates  made  application  to  General 
Washington  for  me  to  come  to  Rhode  Island.  But  the 
General  would  not  consent.  He  thinks  more  is  to  be 
trusted  to  the  virtue  of  your  people  than  to  the  force  of 
this  country.  As  the  enemy  have  got  possession  of  Rhode 
Island,  and  done  all  the  mischief  they  can,  it  will  not  be 
bad  policy  to  let  them  remain  in  quiet  until  spring.  To 
attempt  any  (thing)  against  them,  unless  you  are  sure  of 
success,  will  be  a  very  dangerous  manoeuvre.  'T  is  an 
endless  task  to  attempt  to  cover  all  the  country.  You 
must  drive  back  the  stock  from  the  shores,  and  make  a 
disposition  to  cover  capital  objects  ;  by  too  great  a  division 


1776.]  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  295 

of  your  force,  you'll  be  incapable  of  making  any  consider- 
able opposition  whenever  they  may  think  proper  to  make  a 
descent.  But  it  is  my  opinion  they  will  be  peaceable  if  you 
will ;  for,  from  the  best  accounts  we  can  get,  they  consist 
of  the  invalids  of  the  army.  They  may  attempt  to  plun- 
der the  shores,  but  nothing  more  than  that,  this  winter  ; 
for  I  am  confident  they  have  no  hopes  of  penetrating  into 
the  country.  If  they  make  any  descent,  it  will  be  against 
Providence,  to  seize  the  stores  and  burn  the  town.  This 
is  very  probable,  as  the  Tories  will  endeavor  in  Newport 
to  spirit  them  on  to  such  an  attempt ;  but,  unless  it  is 
already  done,  you  have  nothing  to  fear. 

"  I  am  told  some  malicious  reports  propagated  indus- 
triously about  me,  respecting  the  loss  of  the  baggage  and 
stores  at  Fort  Lee.  They  are  as  malicious  as  they  are 
untrue.  I  can  bring  very  good  vouchers  for  my  conduct 
in  every  instance,  and  have  the  satisfaction  to  have  it  ap- 
proved by  the  General  under  whom  I  serve.  Everything 
was  got  off  from  that  place  that  could  be,  with  the  roads 
and  wagons  we  had  to  move  the  stores  with.  The  evacua- 
tion of  Fort  Lee  was  determined  upon  several  days  before 
the  enemy  landed  above  us,  and  happily  all  the  most 
valuable  stores  were  away.  The  enemy's  publication  of 
the  garrison  and  stores  there  taken  is  a  grand  falsehood. 
Not  an  article  of  military  stores  was  left  there,  or  nothing 
worth  mentioning. 

"  The  Congress  have  removed  to  Baltimore.  General 
Spencer  and  General  Arnold  are  coming  to  take  the  com- 
mand at  Rhode  Island.  Arnold  is  a  fine,  spirited  fellow, 
and  an  active  general. 

"  I  hope  they  '11  keep  the  enemy  at  bay." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Washington's  Confidence  in  Greene  excites  Jealousy.  —  Charles  Lee. 

—  Greene's  Share  in  the  Jersey  Campaign.  —  Surprise  of  Trenton. 

—  Letters.  —  Greene  in  Favor  of  following  up  the  Surprise.  —  The 
Assanpink.  —  Princeton.  —  March  to  Morristown. 

IT  was  hardly  possible  to  stand  so  high  as  Greene 
was  known  to  stand  in  the  confidence  of  the 
Commander-in-chief,  without  exciting  some  feelings 
of  envy.  How  bitter  these  feelings  became  in  the 
sequel  we  shall  see  when  Conway's  Cabal  comes  to 
light.  Meanwhile,  in  this  as  in  other  evil  things, 
Charles  Lee  took  the  lead ;  beginning  by  an  artful 
misuse  of  the  alleged  discontent  occasioned  by 
some  of  Greene's  recommendations  for  commissions 
in  the  Rhode  Island  line,  in  the  hope  of  shaking 
Washington's  confidence  in  his  disinterestedness, 
and  closing  by  an  artful  appeal  to  Washington's 
self-esteem,  in  order  to  shake  his  confidence  in  his 
judgment:  "0  General!  why  would  you  be  over- 
persuaded  by  men  of  inferior  judgment  to  your 
own  ? "  ^  Reed,  too,  who  appears  at  this  time  to 
have  looked  up  to  Lee  with  a  confidence  which  he 
lived  to  regret,  uses  nearly  the  same  words  in  a 
letter  of   the  22d    of   December :    "  Allow  me  to 

1  Lee  to    Washington,  November     of  the    Revolution,  Vol.   L   p.  306. 
18,    177C,   Sparks's  Correspondence     See  also  si//j.,  p.  231. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHA2JAEL    GREENE.  297 

hope  that  you  will  consult  your  own  good  judg- 
ment and  spirit,  and  not  let  the  goodness  of  your 
heart  subject  you  to  the  influence  of  opinions 
from  men  in  every  respect  your  inferiors."  ^  ^ow 
far  Lee  was  sincere  in  his  opinion  it  would  be  use- 
less to  inquire ;  but  we  cannot  forget  that  at  this 
very  time  he  was  writing  to  Gates,  that  "  a  certain 
great  man  was  damnably  deficient."  ^  But  of  the 
sincerity  which  led  to  Reed's  suggestion  there  is 
no  reason  to  doubt.  A  more  intimate  acquaintance 
with  Greene  soon  led  him  to  change  his  opinion, 
and  made  him,  in  the  end,  one  of  his  most  trusted 
friends  and  warmest  admirers. 

It  is  evident,  from  Greene's  letter  to  Governor 
Cooke,  that  Washington  was  unwilling  to  separate 
himself  from  so  trusty  a  counsellor  at  so  trying  a 
moment.  But,  honorable  as  this  circumstance  was 
to  his  character,  and  gratifying  as  it  must  have 
been  to  his  feelings,  it  was  most  unfortunate  in  its 
bearing  upon  his  place  in  history.  In  a  separate 
command,  his  opinion  and  advice  would  have  been 
given  in  writing,  and  we  should  have  been  able  to 
ascertain  with  precision  the  plans  that  he  proposed 
and  the  measures  that  he  suggested.  How  freely 
he  would  have  written,  we  see  by  his  letter  of  the 
7th  of  December,  from  Princeton ;  ^  and  it  is  but 
fair  to  suppose  that  in  that  daily  personal  inter- 
course  with  the   Commander-in-chief,  which   con- 

1  Life  and  Correspondence  of  Presi-  tain   great   man   is   most   damnably 
dent  Reed,  Vol.  L  p.  272.  deficient."  —  Wilkinson,     Memoirs, 

2  Letter  from    Baskingridge,  De-  Vol.  I.  p.  108. 
cember  13,  1776  :  "  Entre  nous,  a  cer-  ^  Sup.,  p.  282. 


298  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

tiiiued  unbrolven  through  the  whole  of  this  winter 
campaign,  he  spoke  as  fully  and  as  freely  as  he 
wrote.  We  know,  indeed,  by  Hamilton's  express 
testimony,  that  he  had  a  share  in  the  "  formation," 
as  well  as  "  in  the  execution,  of  the  plans  "  which 
changed  so  suddenly  the  whole  aspect  of  the  war.^ 
But  this  is  all  that  we  know ;  and,  without  ventur- 
ing to  claim  for  him  the  original  suggestion  of  the' 
brilliant  attack  upon  Trenton,  or  the  still  more 
brilliant  advance  upon  Princeton,  we  must  be  sat- 
isfied with  the  uncontested  flict  that  he  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  execution  of  both. 

It  was  never  Washington's  intention  to  permit 
the  enemy  to  keep  undisturbed  possession  of  the 
Jerseys;  but  where  and  when  to  strike  the  first 
blow  was  a  question  of  no  little  difficulty.  When 
Greene  wrote  to  Governor  Cooke,  "  I  hope  we  shall 
give  the  enemy  a  stroke  in  a  few  days,"  he  evi- 
dently says  what  he  and  Washington  had  already 
said  to  each  other.  Nor  is  it  probable  that  either 
of  them  waited  for  Eeed's  letter  of  the  22d,  in 
order  to  perceive  the  advantage  of  an  attack  upon 
Trenton :  —  ^ 

"  If  your  business  at  Newtown  will  permit,"  Greene 
writes  to  Colonel  Biddle  on  the  24th,  "  I  should  be  glad 
to  see  you  here.  There  is  some  business  of  importance 
to  communicate  to  you,  which  I  wish  to  do  to-day.  No 
butter,  no  cheese,  no  cider,  —  this  is  not  for  the  lienor  of 
Pennsylvania.     Colonel  Griffin  is  at  Mount  Holly,  col- 

1  Hamilton's  Eulot,'ium  on  Greene,         ^  See  Heed's  Life  and  Correspond- 
delivered     before     the     Cincinnati,     ence,  Vol.  L  p.  271. 
Works,  Vol.  II.  p.  480. 


1776.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  299 

lecting  great  numbers  of  the  Jersey  troops ;  they  have 
drove  the  Hessians  and  Highlanders  many  miles.  Yester- 
day a  great  firing  was  heard  there  ;  the  consequence  I 
have  not  learned." 

The  business  of  importance  was  evidently  the 
attack  upon  the  Hessians  at  Trenton,  now  fully 
matured,  and  although  carefully  kept  secret,  yet  a 
secret  which  Biddle's  duties  required  him  to  know. 
In  the  attack,  Greene  commanded  the  left  wing 
and  Sullivan  the  right.  Washington,  Stirling,  and 
Mercer  were  with  Greene,  St.  Clair  with  Sulli- 
van. Greene's  column,  which  marched  by  the 
upper  or  Pennington  road,  reached  the  point  of 
attack  three  minutes  before  Sullivan's,  and,  divid- 
ing, entered  the  town  by  two  streets,  one  of  which, 
Queens,  now  bears  his  name,  —  the  only  public 
record  of  his  part  in  the  battle  :  —  ^ 

"  Before  this  reaches  you,"  he  writes  to  his  wife  from 
Trenton,  on  the  30th,  "  doubtless  you  will  hear  of  the  at- 
tack upon  this  place.  We  crossed  the  river  Delaware  at 
McKonkee's  ferry,  eight  miles  above  this  place,  on  the 
25th  of  this  instant,  and  attacked  the  town  by  storm  in 
the  morning.  It  rained,  hailed,  and  snowed,  and  was  a 
violent  storm.  The  storm  of  nature  and  the  storm  of  the 
town  exhibited  a  scene  that  filled  the  mind  during  the 
action  with  passions  easier  conceived  than  described. 
The  action  lasted  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour.  We 
killed,  wounded,  and  took  prisoners  of  the  enemy  between 
eleven  and  twelve  hundred.  Our  troops  behaved  with 
great  spirit.  General  Sullivan  commanded  the  right 
wing  of  the  army,  and  I  the  left. 

1  Gordon,  Vol.  II.  p.  395. 


300  LIFE    OF   NATHAJ^AEL    GREENE.  [1776. 

"  This  is  an  important  period  to  America,  big  with  great 
events.  God  only  knows  what  will  be  the  issue  of  this 
campaign,  but  everything  wears  a  much  better  prospect 
than  they  have  for  some  weeks  past.  The  enemy  are 
collecting  their  forces  at  Trenton,  whether  they  mean  to 
attack  or  to  act  upon  the  defensive. 

"  I  am  well  in  health,  and  hope  to  continue  so.  In  a 
few  weeks  I  hope  to  have  a  fine  army  together.  I  ob- 
serve the  enemy  have  got  possession  of  Newport,  and 
Joseph  Wanton  proclaimed  Governor.  I  am  sure  the 
enemy  cannot  penetrate  the  country  in  New  England  as 
they  have  done  here. 

"  Should  we  get  possession  again  of  the  Jerseys,  per- 
haps I  may  get  liberty  to  come  and  see  you.  1  pity  your 
situation  exceedingly  ;  your  distress  and  anxiety  must 
be  very  great.  Put  on  a  good  stock  of  fortitude.  By  the 
blessing  of  God  I  hope  to  meet  again." 

When  the  battle  was  over,  Greene  went  with 
Washington  to  visit  the  dying  Eahl.  What  shall 
be  done  next  ?  was  now  the  question, 

Greene  w\as  for  following  up  the  surprise  of 
Trenton  by  a  rapid  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  and  an 
immediate  attack  upon  their  other  posts.  But 
Knox  was  the  only  officer  who  agreed  with  him, 
and  Washington,  not  yet  feeling  himself  justified  in 
overruling  the  opinion  of  a  majority,  reluctantly 
accepted  its  decision.  "  He  has  since  regretted," 
writes  Gordon,  "  his  not  seizing  the  golden  oppor- 
tunity." 1 

"  The  year  '76  is  over.  I  am  heartily  glad  of  it, 
and  hope  you  nor  America  will  ever  be  plagued 
w^ith  such  another,"  writes  Robert  Morris  to  Wash- 

1  Gordon,  Vol.  II.  p.  396. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  301 

ington  on  the  1st  of  January,  1777.^  But  the  cam- 
paign was  not  over.  The  country  had  been  roused 
by  the  surprise  of  Trenton,  but  it  was  necessary 
to  prevent  it  from  relapsing  into  the  despondency 
of  November  and  December.  The  enemy  had 
been  startled ;  it  was  necessary  to  turn  their  alarm 
into  fear.  Washington  resolved  to  follow  up  the 
blow,  and  before  his  troops,  most  of  whose  terms  of 
service  were  just  expiring,  left  him,  strike  another, 
and,  if  possible,  a  decisive  one,  for  the  deliverance 
of  the  Jerseys. 

On  the  28th  Greene  recrossed  the  river  with 
three  hundred  militia.^  On  the  30th  Washington 
crossed  with  the  Continentals.  By  personal  appeals 
and  the  promise  of  ten  dollars  bounty,  most  of  the 
Eastern  men  were  prevailed  upon  to  engage  for  six 
weeks  longer ;  though  many  of  them,  if  Gordon's 
information  was  correct,  stayed  only  long  enough  to 
secure  their  money.^  The  forces  under  Cadwalla- 
der  and  Mifflin,  about  three  thousand  six  hundred 
in  all,  were  called  in  from  Crosswicks  and  Borden- 
town,  reaching  Trenton  by  a  night  march  on  the 
morning  of  the  2d  of  January.  The  poor  fellows 
had  hardly  got  out  their  camp-kettles,  and  kindled 
their  fires,  with  the  prospect  of  a  quiet  meal  and  a 
few  hours'  rest  under  the  very  same  roofs  which  the 
week  before  had  sheltered  the  Hessians  when  the 
drum  beat  to  arms,  and  they  were  hurried  forward 
to  meet   the    enemy,  who  was   advancing  under 

1  Sparks's  Coirespondence  of  the  '  Gordon,  Vol.11,  p.  398;  Wash- 
Revolution,  Vol.  I.  p.  316.  ington  to  President  of  Congress, 
■    2  Gordon,  Vol.  II.  p.  398.  Works,  Vol.  IV.  p.  254. 


302  LIFE    OF   NATHAJI^AEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

Cornwallis  by  the  old  road  from  Princeton.^  Some 
hours  were  passed  m  skirmishing,  when  Greene 
was  ordered  up  with  a  strong  detachment  to  the 
support  of  the  advance.  "  I  remember  him/'  one 
of  the  soldiers  of  that  day  told  me,  in  1850,^  "  dash- 
ing up  to  the  company  I  was  in  "  (his  own  Rhode- 
Islanders,  under  Hitchcock,  who  had  been  with  him 
from  the  beginning),  "  and  calling  out  in  a  clear, 
loud  voice,  '  Push  on,  boys  !  push  on  ! '  " 

But  the  pressure  was  too  severe, —  eight  thou- 
sand disciplined  men  moving  resolutely  forward 
upon  five  thousand  weary  Continentals  and  militia.^ 
Still  the  retreat  through  the  town  was  obstinately 
contested.  The  only  passage  to  the  main  body 
was  by  a  bridge  over  the  Assanpink.  On  the  east 
end  Washington  sat  watching  the  progress  of  the 
conflict,  with  a  "  firm,  composed,  and  majestic  coun- 
tenance," which  the  men  looked  on  as  they  passed, 
and  grew  strong.  His  noble  horse,  pressing  the 
railing  with  his  broad  breast,  seemed  conscious, 
thought  the  soldier  who  lived  to  tell  the  story,  that 
"  he  too  was  not  to  quit  his  post  and  station."  *  As 
soon  as  all  were  safe  over,  the  cannon,  which  had 
been  drawn  aside  to  let  the  troops  pass,  were  again 
brought  into  position,  and,  opening  a  well-directed 
fire,  checked  the  enemy's  advance.  For  a  while 
the  evening  shadows,  that  were  fast  settling  over 
the  landscape,  were  lighted  up  by  the  flames  from 

1  Stone's  Life  and  Recollections  of    their  comparative  strength.  Memoirs, 
John  Howland,  p.  72.  Vol.  I.  p.  135. 

2  John  Howland.  *  Stone's  Howland,  itt  sup. 
8  Tliis  is  Wilkinson's  estimate  of 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  303 

the  muzzles  of  the  guns,  as  cannon-ball  and  mus- 
ket-ball darted  forth  on  their  deadly^  errand.  But 
soon  the  useless  cannonading  ceased ;  and  both  ar- 
mies, separated  only  by  the  slender  current  of  the 
Assanpink  and  the  little  hamlet  of  Trenton,  not 
over  a  thousand  yards  in  all,  prepared  themselves 
for  a  watchful  night  and  bloody  morning.  The 
Americans  gathered  eagerly  round  their  watch- 
fires,  feeding  the  welcome  tlame  with  cedar  rails 
from  the  neighboring  fences.^  As  yet  the  weather 
■was  mild,  and  the  ground,  freed  from  the  recent 
frost,  soft  and  wet. 

Meanwhile,  Washington  summoned  his  officers 
to  council,  at  the  head-quarters  of  St.  Clair,  his 
own  being  now  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  "What 
shall  we  do  ?  Shall  we  retreat  down  the  Delaware, 
on  the  Jersey  side,  and  cross  it  over  against  Phila- 
delphia; or  shall  we  remain  where  we  are,  and 
try  the  chances  of  a  battle  ?  "  Each  course  had  its 
advocates,  when  a  voice  was  heard,  saying,  "  Better 
than  either  of  these,  let  us  take  the  new  road 
through  the  woods,  and  get  in  the  enemy's  rear 
by  a  march  upon  Princeton,  and,  if  possible,  on 
Brunswick  even."  From  whom  did  this  bold  sug- 
gestion come  ?  St.  Clair  claimed  it  as  his ;  and 
why  should  the  positive  assertion  of  an  honorable 
man  be  lightly  called  in  question  ?  ^     But  whose 

1  "  The   evening   was  so   far  ad-  ^  Qlney's  narrative  in  Williams's 

vanced  that  I  could  distinguish  the  Life  of  Olney. 

flames  from  the  muzzles  of  our  mus-  ^  See  St.[Clair's  Narrative,  p.  242 ; 

kets." — Wilkinson,  Memoirs,   Vol.  Wilkinson,  Vol.  I.  p.  140  ;  Gordon, 

L  p.  138.  Vol.  IL  p.  400. 


304  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

ever  it  was,  it  was  the  inspiration  of  true  genius, 
and  was  promptly  accepted  by  all. 

When  the  council  broke  up,  a  sudden  change 
had  taken  place  in  the  weather.  The  mist  which 
had  hovered  over  the  landscape  all  through  the 
day  had  disappeared ;  and,  though  the  night  was 
very  dark,  the  sky  was  cloudless.  There  was  no 
wind,  but  the  air  was  piercing  cold,  and  the  ground 
had  already  frozen  hard  enough  to  bear  the  heaviest 
weight  without  yielding.-^  All  along  the  American 
line  the  fires  were  blazing  brightly ;  and  the  half- 
clad  men.  heaping  the  wood  upon  them  with  liberal 
hands,  crouched  behind  them,  unseen  of  the  enemy, 
and  ate  their  scanty  suppers,  thinking  anxiously  on 
the  morrow. 

It  was  soon  time  to  begin  the  critical  movement, 
on  which  their  safety,  and  the  war  itself,  depended. 
First,  the  baggage  guard  was  summoned,  and  the 
baggage  silently  sent  off  towards  Burlington.  Then 
a  strong  fatigue  party  was  set  to  work  on  an  in- 
trenchment  near  a  mill,  and  so  close  to  the  enemy's 
lines,  that  they  must  have  heard  the  heavy  blows 
of  pickaxe  and  spade  upon  the  frosty  ground,  and 
almost  have  counted  the  falling  of  each  frozen  clod^ 
as  it  was  thrown  into  its  place.  If  there  were 
spies  there,  they  probably  hurried  back  to  Com- 
wallis,  and  told  him  that  he  might  sleep  quietly  till 
morning,  for  the  Americans  were  determined  to 
hold  their  ground.  And  thus  the  night  wore 
slowly  on.     Some  laid  them  down  in  their  places, 

1  Gordon,  Vol.  I.  p.  400;  Wilkinson,  Memoirs,  Vol.  I.  p.  140. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATH.iNAEL    GREENE.  305 

and  slept ;  some  sat  talking  by  the  fire ;  some,  per- 
haps, were  busy  with  their  arms,  which  they  ex- 
pected soon  to  put  to  use.  Midnight  came.  The 
guards  at  the  bridge,  and  at  the  upper  passes,  were 
doubled,  and  received  their  last  orders.  The  fires 
were  heaped  up  anew,  and  the  drowsy  British  sen- 
tinels, as  they  looked  across  the  narrow  interval  of 
flickering  light  and  shade,  and  saw  how  cheerfully 
they  blazed,  may  have  said  to  themselves,  "  Do 
those  rebels  know  what  we  are  preparing  for  them 
to-morrow?"  Little  did  they  think  that,  behind 
that  wall  of  flame,  their  skilful  enemy  was  cau- 
tiously filing  off  into  the  dark  wood,  and  turning 
his  steps  towards  another  victory.  The  order  to 
move  was  given  in  so  low  a  voice,  that  some  offi- 
cers were,  for  a  moment,  at  loss  which  way  they 
were  to  go.  The  road  was  newly  cut,  and  rough 
with  stubs,  too  low  to  be  seen  by  starlight,  but  high 
enough  to  catch  and  bruise  the  men's  feet,  as  they 
marched,  —  half-shod  feet,  we  must  remember,  — 
and  whose  track,  a  few  days  before,  Wilkinson  tells 
us,  he  had  traced  for  miles  by  their  blood  on  the 
snow.-^  The  slow  pace  of  the  artillery  compelled 
the  ranks  to  move  slowly,  and  frequently  to  halt ; 
and  as  they  halted,  "two  or  three  men  in  each 
platoon  would  be  seen  standing,  with  their  arms 
supported,  fast  asleep."  Then  the  order  to  move 
on  would  come ;  and  as  the  sleepers,  rousing  them- 
selves, and  pressed  by  the  platoons  from  behind, 

1  Wilkinson  Memoirs,  p.  127. 
20 


306  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

attempted  to  move,  they  would  often  strike  against 
a  stub,  and  fall.^ 

Day  dawned  upon  them  clear,  and  very  cold. 
The  sun  rose  as  they  were  approaching  a  hill  near 
Princeton ;  and  as  its  rays  fell  upon  it,  Wilkinson, 
who  was  with  the  advance,  thought  that  he  saw  a 
Hashing  along  its  ridge,  as  of  burnished  steel.  "  It 
must  be  the  enemy,"  said  he,  "  for  the  muskets  of 
our  poor  fellows  have  no  burnish  to  them."  Harri- 
son —  Washington's  secretary  —  w^as  near  him,  and 
he  called  to  him  to  observe  it.  But  when  he  looked 
again,  it  was  gone ;  and  presently  two  horsemen 
were  seen  to  leap  a  fence,  ride  forward  a  little 
ways,  reconnoitre,  and  then  spur  back  with  their 
tidings.  The  enemy  was  indeed  at  hand ;  and  in 
the  short,  sharp  conflict  which  followed  I  catch  but 
a  single  glimpse  of  Greene  in  an  anecdote,  which  I 
will  not  vouch  for,  but  which,  as  I  read  it,  recalls 
to  my  mind  a  passage  in  one  of  his  letters  to  Gov- 
ernor Cooke.  In  a  charge,  an  officer  by  his  side 
suddenly  reigned  up  his  horse  to  avoid  passing 
over  a  human  body.  "  On,  sir,"  said  Greene,  sternly ; 
"  this  is  no  time  for  stopping." 

Thus  far,  Washington's  bold  strategy  had  suc- 
ceeded. The  road  to  Brunswick  was  open.  Lee 
was  there ;  other  prisoners  were  there ;  abundant 
stores  and  supplies  were  there  ;  and  there,  too,  was 
the  military  chest,  with  seventy  thousand  pounds 
in  hard  money.  To  seize  these  had  formed  a  part 
of  Washington's  original  plan ;    and  as  he  halted 

1  Stone's  Howland,  p.  75. 


I 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  307 

with  several  of  his  general  officers  at  the  forks  in 
the  Kingston  road,  while  his  victorious  but  weary 
troops  were  filing  off  towards  Rocky  Hill,  there 
was  a  general  cry,  "  0  that  we  had  five  hundred 
fresh  men  to  beat  up  their  quarters  at  Bruns- 
wick." ^  "  It  would  have  put  an  end  to  the  war," 
says  Washington,  sadly,  in  a  letter  to  the  President 
of  Congress.^  But  the  five  hundred  fresh  men 
were  not  there,  and  in  their  stead  was  an  army 
worn  down  by  hunger  and  fatigue. 

It  was  now  that  the  happy  resolution  was 
adopted  of  proceeding  to  Morristown,  and  fixing 
winter  quarters  there.  Knox,  according  to  Gor- 
don, suggested  it;  St.  Clair,  according  to  AVilkin- 
son.^  Greene,  who,  being  with  the  advance,  had 
not  been  present  at  the  discussion,  had  taken  the 
Morristown  road  of  his  own  accord,  before  the  de- 
cision was  known.*  That  night  the  troops  biv- 
ouacked at  Somerset  Court-House,  many  of  them 
lying  on  the  frozen  ground  without  blankets.^  On 
the  6th  they  reached  Morristown,  wayworn  and 
destitute,  but  victorious.  The  Revolution  was 
saved. 

1  Wilkinson,  Memoirs,  p.  148.  *  Gordon,  ut  sup. 

2  Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p.  261.  ^  Stone's  Howland,   p.   77  ;  Wil- 

3  Gordon,  Vol.   II.   p.  402;  Wil-  kinson,  p.  148. 
kinson,  p.  149. 


CHAPTER    XI y. 

Effect  of  Success  on  the  Country  and  the  Army.  —  Position  of  the 
Army.  —  Recreations  of  Winter  Quarters.  —  Washington's  An.xicty. 

—  Greene  shares  it.  —  State  Rights.  —  Death  of  Colonel  Hitchcock. 

—  Greene's  Regret  for  the  Loss  of  Mercer.  —  Greene  in  want  of  a 
Horse.  —  Expects  Active  Work.  —  Difficulties  in  Raising  the  New 
Army.  —  Correspondence  with  Governor  Cooke.  —  Defends  Wash- 
ington. —  Letters  and  Extracts.  —  Change  Produced  on  the  Charac- 
ter of  the  War  by  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  —  Bounties.  — 
Inoculation.  —  Delays  caused  by  a  Weak  Government. 

'VY/'ITH  lightened  hearts,  though  weary  Hmbs,  the 
^  '  patriot  army  wound  its  slow  way  through  the 
rough  mountain  passes  which  lead  from  the  banks 
of  the  Raritan  to  the  little  village  of  Morristown. 
Wonderin":  and  admirino;  must  the  inhabitants 
have  looked  upon  them,  and  listened  to  them,  as 
they  told  how  within  ten  days  they  had  crossed 
the  Delaware  three  times,  had  fought  the  Hessians 
once  and  the  British  regulars  once,  and  defeated 
them  both ;  had  stolen  a  night  march  upon  the 
active  Cornwallis,  and  checked  in  mid  career  the 
course  of  rapine  and  outrage  which  had  marked 
the  English  occupation  of  the  Jerseys.  And  now 
the  choice  of  continuing  the  winter  campaign,  or 
of  lying  still  and  recruiting  their  exhausted 
strength,  rested  with  them  ;  for  betwixt  them  and 
the  seaboard  lay,  like  a  fortress  with  its  walls  and 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  309 

moat,  part  of  the  tortuous  course  of  the  Passaic, 
and  three  chains  of  sharp  and  rugged  hills.     Their 
new  cantonment  itself  was  on  high  table-land,  with 
steep  slopes  on  two  of  its  sides ;  and  the  bold  ridge 
of  Thimble  Mountain  casting  its  shadows  upon  it 
from  the  west.     They  could  look  down  as  from  a 
watch-tower  on  the  lowlands,  where  their  enemy 
lay ;   but  no  enemy  could  reach  them  without  for- 
cing his  way  through  rugged  passes,  and  exposing 
himself  at  every  step  to  the  deadly  aim  of  well- 
trained    marksmen.      Forage   was    abundant,   and 
within  easy  reach;   provisions,  though  less  abun- 
dant, yet  enough   so   to  carry  them  comfortably 
through  the  winter ;   and  the  air,  though  cold,  was 
pure  and  healthy.     It  was  the  second  winter  en- 
campment of  the  war ;    many   of  the   men,  and 
still  more  of  the  officers,  had  already  served  two 
campaigns  together.      Faces  had  grown  familiar, 
and    characters    were    fast    becoming    known   in 
their  weakness  and  in  their  strength.     And  for  a 
softening  background  to  the  picture,  as  the  army 
settled    down   in    its    quarters,   Mrs.    Washington 
came  to  camp ;  and  other  ladies  joining  their  hus- 
bands, a  little  winter  circle  was  formed,  lil^e  the 
winter  circle  of  Cambridge.      There  were  sleigh- 
rides  over  the   crisp  snow,  and    dinner-parties  at 
head-quarters,  and  now  and   then  a  subscription 
ball ;   and   always  hospitable   firesides,  where  the 
grave  and   thoughtful  could   talk  of  their  hopes 
and  fears  by  the  blazing  hearth,  and  the  young 
and  cheerful  play  merry  games.     Greene's  share 


310  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  11777. 

in  these  enjoyments  w«is  not  what  he  would  have 
wished  it  to  be ;  for  his  wife  was  unable  to  join 
him  till  the  winter  camp  was  broken  up,  and  the 
new  campaign  about  to  begin. 

But  his  intimacy  with  Knox  grew  closer  every 
day,  and  Hamilton's  entrance  into  Washington's 
family  added  materially  to  the  pleasure  of  his  in- 
tercourse with  head-quarters. 

"  I  lodge,"  he  writes  to  his  wife,  "  at  Mr.  Hoffman's, 
—  a  very  good-natured,  doubtful  gentleman.  He  has  a 
charming  wife,  a  great  lover  of  the  clergy.  Major 
Clarke,  one  of  my  aide-de-camps,  is  eternally  perplex- 
ing her  with  doubts  and  difficulties,  by  dark  hints  and 
oblique  insinuations  respecting  the  purity  of  manners 
and  principles  of  the  Church  of  England 

"  The  smile  of  Heaven  has  changed  the  face  of  affairs. 
Respect  and  courtesy  flow  in  upon  us  from  all  quarters. 
This  is  a  picture  of  human  life.  I  see  the  difference 
betwixt  moving  on  with  the  tide  of  success,  or  sinking 
under  a  load  of  misfortunes."  ^ 

For  Washington  the  problem  was  still  the  same 
as  that  of  the  winter  before  Boston,  —  to  mask  his 
weakness  by  "  a  good  face  and  false  appearances."  ^ 
Here,  too,  he  had  a  new  army  to  raise,  an  old  army 
to  disband,  raw  recruits  to  drill,  the  spirits  of  the 
country  to  keep  up  by  expeditions  and  skirmishes, 
the  enemy  to  harass  by  cutting  off  their  foraging 
parties  and  beating  up  their  quarters,  and  grave 
questions  to  discuss  with  Congress  for  the  correc- 

1  Greene's  MSS.  Letters  to  Mrs.         ^  Letter   of    May   21,    quoted  by 
Greene.     Letter  of  January  20,  and     Gordon,  Vol.  H.  p.  467. 
February  1,   1777. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  311 

tion  of  past  errors  and  the  preparation  for  a  more 
decisive  future.  Many  new  difficulties,  also,  had 
arisen,  and  some  old  ones  swollen  to  dangerous 
proportions.  But  at  the  root  of  them  all  was 
an  ill-timed  jealousy  of  military  influence,  and  still 
more  avowedly  the  baneful  question  of  State 
rights,  which,  enfeebling  the  Congress  of  the  Rev- 
olution, reducing  to  impotence  the  Congress  of 
the  Confederation,  and  waging  a  ceaseless  war 
against  the  Congress  of  the  Union,  attained,  at 
last,  to  the  fulness  of  its  maturity  as  the  ally  of 
slavery  in  the  great  rebellion  of  1860.  The  narra- 
tive of  these  things  belongs  to  the  life  of  Wash- 
ington, entering  into  my  subject  only  in  as  far  as 
Greene  acted  with  him  in  them.  How  far  that 
action  extended  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain,  but 
Hamilton  suggests  that  it  embraced  the  most  im- 
portant events;^  and  Greene's  letters  show  that 
his  thoughts  were  constantly  directed,  and  with  a 
singular  harmony  of  judgment  and  feeling,  to  the 
same  topics  which  occupied  the  mind  of  his  com- 
mander, now  almost  his  dearest  friend, 

"  I  am  exceeding  happy,"  he  writes  to  his  wife, 
on  the  20th "of  January,  "in  the  full  confidence  of 
his  Excellency  General  Washington ;  and  I  found 
that  confidence  to  increase  every  hour,  the  more 
difficult  and  distressing  our  affairs  grew." 

One  of  the  earliest  associations  of  this  encamp- 
ment was  a  painful  one.  I  have  already  had  oc- 
casion to   mention,  more   than  once,  the  name  of 

1  Hamiltoa,  Eulogy  on  Greene,  Works,  Vol.  II.  p.  480. 


o 


12  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GKEENE.  [1777. 


Daniel  Hitchcock,  who  had  accompanied  Greene  to 
Boston  as  colonel  of  one  of  the  three  regiments 
which  formed  the  Rhode  Island  contingent.  From 
that  time  to  this  he  had  continued  with  the  army, 
performing,  during  the  last  few  weeks,  the  duties 
of  a  brigadier,  winning  honor  wherever  honor  was 
to  be  won,  much  loved  by  his  own  men,  and  re- 
spected by  all.  But  fatigue  and  exposure  had  un- 
dermined his  health :  more  than  once  sickness  had 
kept  him  from  the  field ;  ^  and,  a  few  days  after 
the  arrival  of  the  army  at  Morristown,  he  died.^ 
He  was  buried  in  what,  in  the  course  of  the  war, 
became  a  populous  burying-ground ;  and,  four 
years  later,  in  another  burjing-ground,  on  the 
other  bank  of  the  Hudson,  peopled  like  this  with 
the  victims  of  war,  his  friend  and  companion  of 
Ehode  Island's  first  contingent,  Christopher  Greene, 
was  buried,  as  he  had  been,  without  any  distin- 
guishing record  from  the  State  they  honored,  or  the 
country  they  served  so  well.  Nor,  although  Greene 
had  long  ceased  to  look  upon  himself  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  a  single  State,  have  I  been  willing  to 
pass  over  the  fate  of  men  so  closely  connected 
with  the  beginning  of  his  military  life,  without 
telling  how  much  he  prized  their  services,  and  how 
deeply  he  lamented  their  death. 

"  He  was  buried,"  Greene  writes  of  Hitchcock,  "with 
all  the  honors  of  war,  as  the  last  mark  of  respect  we 

1  Greene's  MSS.     Olney's  Karra-        ^  Stone's  Howland. 
tive  in  Williams's  Olney,  p.  198. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  313 

could  show  him."  And  following  up  the  melancholy 
train  of  thought  which  this  death  suggested,  he  adds, 
"  Poor  General  Mercer  is  also  dead  of  the  wounds  he 
received  in  the  Princeton  action.  He  was  a  fine  com- 
panion, a  sincere  friend,  a  true  patriot,  and  a  brave  gen- 
eral. May  Heaven  bless  his  spirit  with  eternal  peace! 
Several  more  brave  officers  fell  that  day  ;  particularly 
one  Captain  Neale,  of  the  artillery.  The  enemy  refused 
him  quarter  after  he  was  wounded.  He  has  left  a  poor 
widow  over  [whelmed]  with  grief.  She  is  as  fine  a  woman 
as  ever  I  saw  ;  her  distress  melts  the  hearts  of  all  around 

her Such  instances  paint  all  the  horrors  of  war 

beyond  description." 

Greene's  own  health  had  not  suffered,  incessant 
as  had  been  his  labors,  and  feeble  as  he  had  been 
at  the  opening  of  the  campaign.  His  equipage 
had  not  fared  so  well.  "  I  am  miserably  off, "  he 
writes  to  a  friend  on  the  ITth  of  January,  "  for 
want  of  a  horse ;  you  '11  oblige  me  very  much,  if 
you  can  get  me  a  good  one."  Daily  rides  over 
rough  roads  and  in  all  weathers  wore  down  his 
horses  fast;  and  the  way  in  which  he  speaks  of 
them  in  his  letters  shows  a  tenderness  for  them 
which  reminds  us  that  with  him,  as  with  Washing- 
ton, the  horse  had  always  been  a  favorite  animal. 
But  at  this  moment  he  felt  the  want  more  sensibly, 
as  he  was  looking  forward  to  active  service.  "  The 
sooner  a  panic-struck  enemy  is  followed,  the  bet- 
ter," Washington  had  written  to  Lincoln  on  the 
7th.^  But,  in  spite  of  Washington's  desire  to  push 
them,  they  had  had  ten  days  to  rest  and  gather 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  IV.  p.  266. 


314  LIFE   OF   NATIIANAEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

courage  in.  "  The  enemy,  for  several  days  past," 
Greene  writes  on  the  17th,  "  are  remarkably  still. 
I  strongly  suspect  mischief."  Awed,  however,  by 
the  apparent  strength  of  the  Americans,  they  did 
not  dare  to  move  out  in  force ;  and  although  fre- 
quent skirmishes  occurred  between  scouts  and 
foraging  parties,  in  which  the  Americans  generally 
had  the  advantage,  Washington  was  left  free  to 
give  his  attention  almost  undividedly  to  the  other 
duties  of  his  charge. 

The  new  army  was  the  first ;  and  here  was  a  new 
difficulty  at  the  threshold,  for,  on  adopting  the 
bounty  system,  some  Eastern  States,  reflecting  that 
living  was  more  expensive  in  their  rough  climate 
than  in  their  sister  States,  had  offered  higher 
bounties  than  Congress  ^  had  done ;  and  Rhode 
Island,  alarmed  by  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  in- 
stead of  confining  her  exertions  to  the  speedy 
filling  up  of  the  Continental  battalions,  had  "  set 
on  foot  two  regiments  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
men  each,  and  one  regiment  of  artillery  of  three 
hundred  men  to  serve  for  fifteen  months."  ^  When 
Washington  heard  this,  he  wrote  to  Governor 
Cooke,  condemning  the  measure  as  injudicious,  and 
injurious  to  the  general  interest.^  Three  days 
afterwards,  the  23d  of  January,  Greene,  who,  be- 
sides agreeing  fully  with  Washington,  felt  that  the 

1  Sparks's  Correspondence  of  the  ^  Bartlett's  Tihodc  Island  Colonial 

Revolution,  Vol.  I.  p.  342,  contains  Records,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  140. 

an  al)le  exposition  of  the  subject  by  '^  Sparks's  Washington,  IV.  p.  285. 

Governor    Trumbull,    of    Connect!-  Bartlett,  u/ sup.,  114. 
cut,  one  of  the  truly  wise  men  of  the 
day. 


1777.1         •  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  315 

honor  of  his  native  State  was  at  stake,  wrote  even 
more  strongly  than  Washington  had  clone :  — 

"  I  am  exceeding  unhappy  to  hear  of  your  resolution 
of  raising  troops  at  the  expense  of  the  State,  before  your 
proportion  of  the  Continental  regiments  is  completed. 
The  forming  of  new  regiments  only  serves  to  burden  the 
State,  without  giving  it  any  additional  strength. 

"  There  is  not  a  State  on  the  continent  whose  interest 
and  happiness  depends  so  much  on  a  union  with  the 
others  as  yours.  You  are  the  most  exposed  and  the  least 
capable  of  making  a  separate  defence  ;  consequently,  it  is 
your  interest  to  cultivate  every  measure  that  may  tend  to 
form  the  union  of  strength ;  and  it  must  be  considered 
bad  policy  to  give  an  example  to  others,  from  which  you 
can  derive  little  or  no  advantage,  and  that  may  prove  so 
ruinous  in  its  consequences. 

"  Suppose,  for  instance,  every  State  was  to  neglect  the 
completion  of  the  Continental  regiments,  and  prepare  for 
their  own  internal  security  ?  where  is  the  State  that 's 
able  to  withstand  the  enemy's  collective  force  ?  If  the 
continent  had  troops  enough  on  foot  to  baffle  all  the 
enemy's  attempts,  and  were  located  to  particular  States, 
they  must  inevitably  fall  a  sacrifice  for  want  of  a  power 
of  drawing  the  whole  collective  force  together.  You 
have  no  reason  to  hope,  if  you  neglect  the  general 
interest,  and  take  measures  for  your  own  particular 
safety,  but  that  others  will  do  the  same  ;  and  it  is  folly 
to  expect  that  troops  raised  for  the  defence  of  any  par- 
ticular State  will  enter  into  the  service  of  the  States. 
In  general,  it  is  in  vain  to  expect  more  of  soldiers  than 
they  are  bound  by  contract  to  execute. 

"  The  source  of  all  our  evils  has  been,  by  taking  meas- 
ures from  speculative  principles,  rather  than  from  real  life. 
The  policy  of  the  States  has  been  pregnant  with  many 


o 


16  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  '        [177 


evils,  by  rating  our  patriotism  too  liigli.  This  kind  of 
policy  has  distressed  the  army  beyond  description  ;  and, 
if  I  mistake  not,  this  measure  of  yours  has  a  direct  ten- 
dency to  continue  things  in  the  same  channel ;  it  may 
afford  you  a  temporary  relief,  but  never  can  remove  the 
principal  evil. 

''  Divine  Providence  has  given  a  very  favorable  turn  to 
affairs,  and  at  an  hour  when  people  least  expected  it. 
Now  is  the  happy  hour  to  complete  the  Continental  estab- 
lishment. Every  State  to  the  southward  is  expecting 
itself  to  fill  up  its  proportion ;  not  a  moment  should  be 
lost.  If  the  regiments  don't  fill  up  by  voluntary  enlist- 
ments, they  must  be  drafted.  I  hope  the  powers  of 
government  are  strong  enough  to  do  it.  I  have  not  the 
least  shadow  of  doubt  upon  my  mind,  of  the  success  of 
the  war,  if  the  different  States  raise  their  men ;  but  on 
that  the  whole  depends. 

"  I  hope  the  cause  is  not  less  righteous,  nor  opposition 
less  necessary,  than  it  was  at  the  commencement  of  this 
dispute.  It  was  a  folly  to  embark  in  the  cause,  and  sink 
under  the  weight  of  a  few  misfortunes.  He  that  goes  to 
war  and  always  expects  a  flowing  tide  is  a  novice  in  the  art, 
and  ignorant  of  human  affairs.  Our  sufferings,  though 
great,  bear  no  proportion  to  our  expectations  at  first. 
Our  resources  are  daily  increasing  ;  we  have  now  a  fine 
nursery  of  officers,  whose  judgments  are  daily  ripening 
by  experience  and  observation.  A  systematic  plan  is 
formed  for  the  exertion  of  our  whole  strength.  Maga- 
zines, arms,  and  military  stores  of  every  kind,  are  form- 
ing and  formed,  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  army.  If  it 
was  prudent  to  engage  in  this  war  without  any  of  those 
advantages,  how  foolish  must  our  conduct  appear,  to 
despair  at  an  hour  when  we  have  much  to  hope  and  little 
to  fear  ! 

"  I  must  confess  I  did  not  expect  to  find  the  Americans 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  317 

such  slaves  to  contingencies,  but  more  especially  New 
England,  and,  in  particular,  Rhode  Island.  Such  a  de- 
pression of  spirit  under  misfortunes,  and  elevation  upon 
successes,  betrays  a  want  of  principle  and  fortitude,  that 
I  would  fain  flatter  myself  were  the  foundation  of  our  op- 
position. Let  any  man  examine  the  history  of  any  war 
in  Europe,  and  compare  ours  with  theirs,  and  see  if  there 
has  anytliing  happened  different  from  the  common  course 
of  events  that  attend  every  war.  Nay,  I  think  we  have 
abundant  cause  to  bless  God  that  our  sufferings  have  not 
been  greater  than  they  have.  A  general  officer  is  in  a 
very  disagreeable  situation  ;  subject  to  the  censure  and 
reproach  of  every  little  dirty  politician,  ignorant  of  every 
circumstance  necessary  to  form  a  right  judgment.  But 
such  is  the  disposition  of  mankind,  that  success  only 
marks  the  man  of  wisdom,  while  the  unfortunate  are 
execrated  without  any  allowances  for  providential  inter- 
positions or  human  accidents. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  of  the  distraction  and  con- 
fusion that  prevails  in  your  councils  and  public  measures. 
The  liberality  with  which  you  confer  favors  on  some,  and 
fix  stigmas  on  others,  must  make  men  of  real  merit  some- 
what cautious  how  they  put  themselves  in  a  situation 
where  they  may  be  reduced  from  the  highest  pitch  of 
glory  to  the  lowest  state  of  contempt.  It  was  ever 
the  policy  of  the  Romans  to  be  cautious  whom  they 
trusted,  and  how  they  disgraced  those  they  had  once 
honored. 

"  I  saw  a  letter  from  one  Malmedy,  a  French  gentle- 
man, to  his  Excellency  General  Washington,  whom  you 
have  appointed  a  brigadier-general ;  and  a  copy  of  a 
letter  from  General  Lee,  to  your  State,  recommending 
him  for  a  chief  colonel's  commission.  General  Lee's 
letter  contains  some  infamous  and  very  illiberal  reflec- 
tions upon  the  genius  of  all  the  New  England  States  ; 


318  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

however  just  the  obstructions  with  respect  to  particular 
appointments,  't  is  certainly  very  unjust  when  applied  to 
the  whole  body  of  the  people.  There  are  as  many  men 
of  spirit,  activity,  and  understanding  in  New  England 
as  in  any  part  of  the  world,  according  to  their  numbers. 

"  A  novelty  of  things  of  foreign  growth  often  makes 
us  rate  them  above  those  of  more  solid  worth  of  our 
production.  The  gentleman  that  General  Lee  recom- 
mended may  be  deserving,  and  possess  every  quality  as- 
cribed to  him ;  but  I  must  confess  that  I  have  not  the 
highest  veneration  for  the  General's  recommendation. 
His  temper  scarce  admits  of  a  proper  medium  to  form 
a  just  estimate  of  people  and  things.  His  approbation 
and  execration  depend  often  upon  trifles  ;  besides,  the 
General  don't  know  the  power  he  has  over  the  Ameri- 
cans, and  consequently  is  not  cautious  enough  in  his 
recommendations  not  to  abuse  it.^ 

"  Some  amongst  you,  I  am  told,  -are  uncharitable 
enough  to  charge  the  army  with  a  design  of  protracting 
the  war  for  their  own  private  advantage.^  The  bosom 
that  can  liarbor  such  a  thought  must  be  very  ill-prin- 
cipled, and  ignorant  of  our  sufferings.  For  my  own  part. 
Heaven  knows  there  is  not  a  man  in  America,  that  would 
more  sincerely  rejoice  at  the  close  of  this  unhappy  dispute 
than  myself  I  neither  have  I  a  single  wish  to  continue  in 
service  a  moment  longer  than  the  interest  and  happiness 
of  my  country  require  it.  I  would  freely  give  place  to 
any  man  that  should  be  found  more  deserving.  I  am 
conscious  of  having  faithfully  discharged  my  duty  to  the 
utmost  of  my  power  ;  and  although  I  have  not  been  able 
to  command  success,  I  have  religiously  endeavored  to 
deserve  it.  I  am  happy  in  the  confidence  of  the  General, 
whose  merit  and  worth  cannot  be  too  highly  rated. 

1  For  further  details  of  this  affair,     Colonial  Records,  VIII.  pp.  Ill,  160, 
see   Sparks's    Washington,    IV.    pp.     &c. 
419,422.     Bartlett's   Rhode   Island        ^  ggg  j^^jams  to  his  Wife,  p.  265. 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  319 

"  Yet  I  am  told  there  are  some  ungodly  tongues  among 
you  (whose  greatest  virtue  don't  equal  the  General's  very 
vices),  who  give  themselves  a  latitude  of  censure. 

"  Ever  since  the  Trenton  affair,  we  have  had  a  contin- 
ual train  of  successes.  The  Lord  seems  to  have  smote 
the  enemy  with  a  panic.  I  wish  our  strength  would  ad- 
mit a  proper  improvement ;  but  our  delicate  situation 
requires  the  utmost  caution  and  prudence.  The  enemy 
are  near  three  thousand  weaker  than  they  were  a  month 
ago. 

"  Our  parties  have  daily  skirmishes,  in  which  we  have 
been  always  successful.  His  Excellency  has  ordered 
General  Heath  to  advance  on  New  York,  to  co-operate 
with  us,  the  result  of  which  I  have  not  learned  ;  but  we 
have  a  rumor  it  is  attended  with  success.  Generals 
Spencer  and  Arnold  are  with  you  by  this  ;  I  long  to  hear 
of  your  situation.  I  expect  General  Knox  will  pass 
through  Providence.  I  beg  leave  to  recommend  him  to 
your  warmest  friendship  as  a  most  deserving  man.  His 
spirit,  military  knowledge,  and  ripeness  of  judgment  is 
inferior  to  very  few,  if  any,  in  America.  I  shall  close  this 
long  letter  with  strongly  recommending  the  filling  the 
Continental  regiments  immediately." 

Greene  had  written  in  "the  style  and  freedom  of 
one  friend  to  another  " ;  but  the  Governor  was  net- 
tled, and  laid  the  letter  before  the  Assembly.  They 
too  were  nettled,  and  directed  him  to  write  to 
Washington  and  Greene  explaining  their  measures, 
and  defending  the  policy  of  them.  The  troops, 
they  asserted,  were  designed  as  much  for  the  Con- 
tinental service  as  for  the  service  of  the  State  ;  the 
difference  in  time,  fifteen  months,  instead  of  three 
years  or  the  war,  being  the  only  difference  between 
them. 


320  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

"  I  am  exceeding  happy,"  writes  Greene  in  repl}',  "  on 
the  receipt  of  yours,  to  find  my  information  erroneous, 
and  my  apprehensions  and  fears  in  a  great  degree  ground- 
less respecting  your  departure  from  the  union  and  gen- 
eral plan. 

"  At  the  time  I  wrote,  upwards  of  two  months  had 
elapsed  without  (my)  receiving  a  single  line  from  any 
person  in  the  State  ;  various  reports  were  circulating 
here  to  the  prejudice  of  the  policy  of  New  England  ;  the 
enormous  bounty  that  was  given,  the  effect  it  would  have 
upon  the  other  States,  the  resolutions  of  your  State  to 
raise  men  for  its  own  internal  defence,  neglecting  the 
Continental  regiments,  were  circumstances  not  a  little 
alarming  to  his  Excellency.  Tliese  reports  were  con- 
firmed by  Lieutenant  Allen,  of  Providence,  who  arrived 
from  that  place  much  about  the  same  time.  He  must 
have  been  totally  ignorant  of  the  terms  upon  which  the 
troops  were  raising  ;  for  I  conceived  them  to  be  for  the 
safety  of  the  State  only,  and  never  knew  but  that  they 
were  located,  until  the  receipt  of  your  letter. 

"  I  hope  the  house  will  pardon  the  freedom  with  which 
I  delivered  my  sentiments,  when  I  assure  them  that  it 
was  from  a  full  persuasion  that  the  reports  were  true, 
and  that  the  measure  was  calculated  to  fix  a  lasting  dis- 
grace upon  the  legislators.  I  have  felt  no  small  share  of 
unhappiness  in  remaining  so  long  ignorant  of  the  true 
history  of  your  proceedings  ;  for,  notwithstanding  I  am 
not  answerable  for  any  misconduct  in  legislation,  I  can- 
not help  feeling  myself  wounded  when  anything  trans- 
pires to  the  prejudice  of  the  State ;  and  you  may  rest 
assured,  sir,  the  language  of  my  letter  was  a  true  tran- 
script of  peo[)le's  sentiments  and  opinions  respecting  your 
political  transactions.  If  the  love  for  my  native  place,  and 
zeal  for  the  cause,  hath  led  me  to  a  too  hasty  animadver- 
sion upon   administration,  it  hath  arisen  from  a  strong 


I 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  321 

desire  to  correct  the  evil  before  it  was  rendered  incurable. 
....  If  you  consider  the  critical  situation  of  the  Amer- 
ican affairs,  the  importance  of  adhering  to  the  general 
plan,  the  short  time  we  had  to  prepare  for  the  ensuing 
campaign,  the  fatal  consequences  that  might  result  from 
an  unseasonable  delay  to  myself,  the  army,  and  to  the 
cause  in  general,  you  cannot  be  surprised  to  find  my  fears 
and  apprehensions  alarmed  at  the  disagreeable  situation 

things  were  reported  to  be  in Had  I  known  the 

governmental  regiments  differed  from  the  continental 
only  in  point  of  time,  I  should  have  been  silent  upon  the 
occasion  ;  notwithstanding  the  policy  does  not  correspond 
with  my  sentiments.  If  the  enemy  had  intended  to  pen- 
etrate into  the  country  immediately  upon  their  arrival, 
no  new  levies  could  have  been  raised  seasonably ;  if  they 
did  not,  then  the  Continental  regiments  might  have  been 
as  easily  completed  as  any  others."  ^ 

That  Greene  was  rig-ht  in  his  condemnation  of 
this  policy  the  sequel  clearly  showed.  "It  is  also 
evident,"  writes  Washington  in  April,  "  that  the 
raising  of  the  Colonial  brigades  for  fifteen  months 
retards  the  Continental  enlistments."^ 

One  of  the  strongest  passages  in  Greene's  letter 
was  the  reference  to  the  personal  attacks  upon 
Wasliino-ton. 


o 


"  You  may  be  assured,"  writes  the  Governor,  "  that 
the  subjects  of  this  State  have  the  highest  veneration  for 
the  inestimable  General  Washington,  and  a  becoming 
respect  for  the  brave  and  worthy  generals  and  command- 
ers under  him,  and  cannot  conceive  on  what  the  sugges- 

1  Bartlett,  E.  I.  Colonial  Records,         ^  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV. 
Vol.  VIIL  pp.  137-211.  p.  375. 

21 


>C 


322  LIFE    OF   NAXIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

tions  contained  in  your  letter  concerning  him  are  founded, 
and  request  you  will  give  us  the  authors  of  such  infamous 
insinuation,  that  a  proper  inquiry  may  he  had,  and  con- 
dign punishment  inflicted  upon  such  base  calumniators." 
"  I  feel  a  singular  pleasure,"  says  Greene,  in  his  answer, 
"  in  hearing  his  Excellency  General  Washington  contin- 
ues in  such  higli  estimation  among  you.  The  strictures 
that  were  made  on  the  General's  conduct  by  some  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Providence  gave  me  great  uneasiness  ;  if 
a  character  so  important,  so  truly  worthy,  is  not  shielded 
from  calumny  and  reproach,  what  have  lesser  ones  to 
expect  ? 

"  Lieutenant  Allen  is  the  author,  and  from  the  char- 
acter he  bears  I  make  no  doubt  of  its  truth ;  but  had  I 
conceived  my  letter  was  for  the  inspection  of  the  General 
Assembly,  I  should  not  have  troubled  the  House  with 
such  out-of-door  politics."  ^ 

Allen  was  called  before  the  Council.  "  He  tells  us," 
writes  Governor  Cooke,  "  that  he  informed  you  that  he 
had  heard  nothing  to  the  prejudice  of  the  generals  from 
any  persons  of  note  in  this  place  ;  but  only  mentioned  to 
you  some  idle  talk  of  Mr.  Man,  and  some  other  persons 
of  much  less  consequence. 

"  The  Council  were  convinced  tliat  he  might  have  given 
you  quite  ditlerent  intelligence,  from  the  representation 
he  made  to  us  of  it.  Upon  the  whole,  I  beg  you  to  rest 
assured  that  General  Washington  and  yourself  are  at 
present  very  high  in  the  estimation  of  all  respectable 
people  in  this  State."  ^ 

"  I  observe  your  remarks  upon  the  army  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Nortii  River.  1  am  at  a  loss  whether  you 
mean  to  impeach  the  troops  or  the  General  through  the 
troops.     If  the  charge  is  against  the  former,  they  can  be 

1  Bartlett,  Vol.  VIII.  ut  sup. 
'■^  Il.id.,  p.  216. 


1777.]  LIFE   OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  323 

of  no  use   to  us  here,  for  if  they  will  not  fight  there, 
neither  will  they  here ;  but  if  the  charge  is  against  the 
General,  I  would  only  observe,  that,  under  the  cloud  of 
misfortunes,  the  same  reproaches  lay  against  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief as  now  lie  against  that  army.     But  you 
see  that  time  has  proved  the  prudence  and  wisdom  of  the 
General's  delays.     I  would  not  be  understood  to  mean 
to  draw  a  parallel  between  the  men.     I  would  further 
observe,  for  your  satisfaction,  that  a  considerable  part  of 
the  troops  on  the  other  side  are  ordered  over  here,  and 
are  now  on  their  march  to  join  us  ;  but  all  this  under  the 
rose.     My  dear  sir,  you  may  rest  assured,  the  routing 
the  enemy  from  the  Jerseys  is  a  most  desirable  object  with 
the  General ;  but  who  can  form  so  good  a  judgment  of 
the  practicability  as  he  who  knows  the  strength  on  both 
sides  1     This  is  a  critical  era.     The  new  army  in  its  in- 
fancy, we  unable  to  support  misfortunes,  great  caution 
is   necessary  to   preserve   our   standing.     Did  you   but 
know  the  real  situation  of  things,  you  would  applaud  the 
General's  prudence.    I  shall  only  add,  that  nothing  but 
the  fullest  conviction  of  your  prudence  and  zeal  would 
have  induced    me   to   unbosom   myself  with   so   much 
freedom." 

The  general  whose  conduct  had  been  called  in 
question  was  General  Heath,  who  had  just  failed, 
and,  as  some  thought,  from  over-caution,  in  an  at- 
tempt upon  Fort  Independence. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  many  of  the  ques- 
tions that  ought  to  have  been  addressed  to  Wash- 
ington began  to  be  addressed  to  Greene,  who,  in 
his  answers,  is  careful  always  to  put  Washington's 
name  foremost,  very  much  as  a  Secretary  of  State 
puts  foremost  the  name  of  the  President. 


324  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

"  Your  favor  of  the  8th  and  10th  are  heforc  mc,"  the 
letter  to  Mojor  Caldwell  begins.  "  In  answer  to  your  first, 
respecting  the  conditions  upon  which  the  light-horse  are 
to  be  raised,!  can  only  say  the  Continental  Congress  have 
not  fixed  upon  any  certain  conditions  :  they  have  the  mat- 
ter now  under  consideration.  Whatever  rank,  pay,  or 
provision  is  fixed  upon  for  the  horse  in  general,  such  will 
be  the  pay  of  the  company  the  Doctor  is  to  raise.  His 
Excellency  desires  that  he  would  not  get  any  but  good 
men  and  horses ;  the  horses  to  be  valued,  and  the  men 
properly  accoutred ;  an  account  of  the  cost  and  charges 
to  be  kept,  a  warrant  for  the  payment  of  which  will  be 
given.  The  General  is  not  inclined  to  raise  a  company  of 
light-horse  upon  the  plan  you  propose With  re- 
spect to  exempting  the  militia  from  service  to  thresh  their 
grain,  General  Maxwell  can  better  judge  of  the  propriety 
and  utility  of  the  measure.  His  Excellency,  therefore, 
refers  you  to  him ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  would  observe, 
as  this  is  a  critical  period,  it  may  be  dangerous  to  open  a 
door  for  the  militia  falling  off.  His  Excellency  thinks  we 
had  better  suffer  the  loss  of  a  little  grain  than  reduce  our 
strength." 

The  intimate  footing  upon  which  he  lived  with 
Washington  appears  still  more  clearly  from  the  let- 
ters that  passed  between  them  in  their  occasional 
separations.  Thus  when,  in  the  course  of  February, 
Greene  had  his  quarters  for  a  while  at  Basking- 
ridge,  he  writes  to  Washington  on  the  20th :  — 

"  Your  favor  of  the  18th  came  to  hand  last  evening.  I 
shall  pay  due  attention  to  its  contents ;  but  I  fear  my 
situation  is  too  remote  to  carry  on  a  communication  of 
intelligence  to  advantage.  Ever  since  I  have  been  here, 
I  have  been  revolving  the  matter  over  and  over  in  my 
mind  respecting  the  subject  of  intelligence. 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GEEENE.  325 

"  Nothing  more  eligible  has  occurred  than  the  plan  your 
Excellency  suggests ;  but  I  hope  the  old  channel  of  intelli- 
gence is  not  yet  shut  up.  Day  before  yesterday  I  was  at 
Boundbrook  and  Quibbletown  ;  there  I  met  with  Mr.  Low- 
rey,  the  commissary,  who  informed  me  the  same  person 
that  was  employed  by  Colonel  Read  and  Colonel  Cox  was 
expected  out  that  day  with  intelligence,  the  purport  of 
which  he  promised  to  forward  to  you  immediately. 

"  I  transmitted  a  return  yesterday  by  Major  Clarke 
to  head-quarters,  with  the  strength  of  the  brigades, 
and  the  places  they  are  posted  at.  Lord  Sterling 
has  but  few  troops  in  his  brigade,  except  McCoy's  regi- 
ment, and  they  are  all  at  Quibbletown. 

"Lord  Sterling,  General  Johnson,  and  myself  will  en- 
deavor to  fix  upon  the  best  places  to  collect  the  troops  at ; 
little  more  can  be  done  than  agree  upon  proper  alarm- 
posts,  and  make  the  troops  and  ourselves  acquainted  with 
the  ground.  In  order  to  make  the  troops  acquainted 
with  the  ground,  I  propose  to  send  down  scouting-parties 
daily,  —  not  so  much  for  the  annoyance  of  the  enemy  as 
to  get  them  acquainted  with  the  ground,  and  to  keep  them 
employed. 

"  Should  the  enemy  advance,  my  plan  would  be  to  at- 
tack with  the  light  troops  on  the  rear  and  upon  the  flanks, 
avoiding  a  general  engagement,  unless  we  can  attack  them 
on  advantageous  ground,  where  they  can  bring  but  part  of 
their  troops  to  act.  I  am  unacquainted  with  General  Put- 
nam's strength ;  but  if  he  has  any  considerable  force, 
Brunswick  should  be  his  object,  by  all  means. 

"  But  I  must  confess,  I  think  General  Putnam  is  in 
much  more  danger  than  we.  I  cannot  help  still  appre- 
hending Philadelphia  to  be  their  object ;  the  consequence 
to  them,  and  injury  to  us,  is  infinitely  greater  than  beat- 
ing up  our  quarters  here,  and  fighting  us  upon  such  dis- 
advantageous ground. 


326  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

"  If  the  enemy  have  no  expectation  of  crossinjr  the 
Delaware,  I  should  think  they  would  move  toward  Tren- 
ton, to  draw  our  forces  on  the  flat  country  :  there  they 
may  give  us  a  capital  blow,  here  they  cannot ;  in  the  flat 
country  their  artillery  is  of  great  importance,  here  it  is 
not ;  there  regular  troops  can  act  to  advantage,  here 
they  cannot,  —  at  least,  they  have  not  that  superiority  as 
they  would  have  there.  Our  troops  are  almost  all  irregu- 
lar, and  they  know  it.  If  they  consult  their  own  inter- 
est, they  will  avoid  fighting  us  upon  our  ground,  that  we 
are  acquainted  with  and  they  ignorant  of.  Upon  the 
whole,  I  think  General  Howe  will  find  it  difficult  to  move, 
any  way  ;  but  if  he  moves  at  all,  I  am  confident  it  will  be 
towards  Philadelphia.  But,  notwithstanding,  I  will  make 
the  best  preparation  our  situation  will  admit.  Lord  Ster- 
ling is  going  below  to-morrow,  to  endeavor  to  fix  upon 
some  plan  to  get  intelligence.  I  will  meet  General  Sulli- 
van at  the  same  time,  and  form  a  plan  for  the  purpose  of 
supporting  each  other. 

"  We  sent  down  forty  wagons  after  forage  yesterday. 
Their  success  I  have  not  yet  heard,  but  they  are  mostly 
returned.  This  moment  the  quartermaster  came  in,  and 
reports  they  all  got  full  loads,  and  have  returned  safe. 
Tliey  were  within  a  mile  of  the  enemy's  quarters." 

It  is  evident,  from  the  unreserved  tone  of  these 
letters,  the  minuteness  of  the  details,  and  the  free- 
dom with  which  the  opinions  are  uttered,  and  the 
advice  given,  that  Greene  and  Washington  were 
living  upon  very  intimate  terms.  It  is  evident,  too, 
that  much  of  their  conversation,  when  together, 
must  have  been  equally  free  and  minute,  compre- 
hending, in  its  wide  range,  all  the  interests  of  the 
army  and  all  the  questions  of  the   time.     I  shall 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  327 

follow  their  correspondence  during  the  rest  of  this 
important  year  as  closely  as  my  materials  will  per- 
mit ;  for  it  was  during  this  year,  and  more  espe- 
cially during  this  winter,  that  these  great  men, 
applying  the  experience  of  their  two  first  cam- 
paigns, and  calmly  weighing  the  obstacles  that  lay 
in  their  path,  and  their  means  of  overcoming  them, 
were  so  closely  drawn  together  by  a  full  accordance 
of  opinions  and  motives,  that  smaller  minds,  both 
in  the  army  and  in  Congress,  began  to  look  upon 
their  union  with  jealousy,  and  the  enemies  of  the 
one  became,  henceforth,  the  enemies  of  the  other. 

There  was  one  essential  difference  between  their 
present  situation  and  their  situation  in  the  camp 
before  Boston,  and  a  difference  widely  in  their  fa- 
vor. For  then  the  object  of  the  war  was  limited 
to  a  redress  of  grievances  ;  and  those  who  knew 
that  their  grievances  had  reached  that  degree  in 
which  redress  is  no  longer  possible,  were  unable  to 
prepare  for  .  the  long  and  difficult  contest  that 
awaited  them  as  they  would  have  prepared  for  it 
if  the  people  had  foreseen  what  they  foresaw.  But 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  had  removed  this 
stumbling-block  from  their  path,  imposing  greater 
exertions,  it  is  true,  but  strengthening  the  hearts 
and  hands  of  all  for  these  exertions  by  setting  the 
same  distinct  and  definite  object  before  all.  It 
was  no  longer  a  simple  question  of  redress,  but  the 
grand  and  comprehensive  question  of  nationality. 

It  was  acknowledged  now  that  an  army  ought 
to  be  raised  for  the  war,  and  Congress  would  gladly 


328  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

have  raised  the  new  army  upon  that  footing.  But 
they  could  no  longer  do  this  as  they  might  have 
easily  done  it  in  the  beginning.  Bounties  and 
land-grants  were  now  required, — bounties  of  twen- 
ty dollars  and  land-grants  of  an  hundred  acres  to 
those  who  enlisted  for  the  war.  Even  those  offers 
were  insufficient  to  fill  the  ranks,  and  far  the  larger 
portion  of  the  newly  enlisted  troops  enlisted,  not 
for  the  war,  but  for  three  years,  although  the  bounty 
was  but  ten  dollars,  and  there  was  no  grant  of 
land.  Here,  however,  a  new  difficulty  arose.  Ad- 
ditional bounties  were  offered  by  some  of  the 
States,  Massachusetts  raising  hers  to  sixty-six  dol- 
lars and  two  thirds.  And  thus  the  soldiers  of  the 
army  of  1776,  who  were  willing  to  enter  the  new 
army,  instead  of  taking  the  Congress  bounty,  and 
enlisting  in  camp,  took  out  their  discharges,  and 
went  home,  in  order  to  secure  the  State  bounty  by 
enlisting  there.  It  is  easy  to  conceive  the  addi- 
tional embarrassment  that  arose  from  this  want  of 
concert  between  the  State  governments  and  the 
national  government.  It  is  easy,  too,  to  conceive 
how  often  Washington  and  Greene,  on  whom  the 
unnecessary  burden  fell  heaviest,  must  have  said  to 
each  other,  with  anxious  misgivings,  "  When  shall 
we  learn  that  there  is  no  safety  for  us  but  in 
union  ?  "  ^ 

1  See  Journals  of  Conprcss.Wedncs-  ington's    Works,  Vol.   IV.    p.  316; 

(lay,  June  26,   1776;  Monday,  Sep-  Governor  Trumlmll  to  Washington, 

tcmher    16,    1776;    Washington    to  February  21,  1777 ;  Correspondence 

Knox,  Fthruary  11,  1777,  witli  a  val-  of  tlic  Revolution,  Vol.  I.  p.  342. 
uable    note   by  Mr.   Sparks  ;  Wash- 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.AJEL    GREENE.  329 

One  of  the  first  things  that  this  new  army  re- 
quired was  security  against  the  scourge  which  had 
made  such  havoc  in  the  old,  and  so  often  swept 
over  the  whole  country  with  such  fearful  desola- 
tion. The  small-pox,  in  spite  of  science,  confirmed 
by  experience,  was  still  permitted  to  hang  with  a 
constant  menace  over  the  land,  and  never  so  fatally 
as  where  many  men  were  gathered  together  in 
common  dwellings.  What  they  became  when  the 
monster  broke  loose  among-st  them  our  own  recol- 
lections  of  the  cholera  will  readily  suggest.  Atten- 
tion to  this  danger,  and  to  inoculation  as  the  only 
safeguard  against  it,  had  been  given,  from  time  to 
time,  from  the  beginning  of  the  war,  when  circum- 
stances permitted  it.  But  during  this  winter,  a  reg- 
ular system  of  inoculation  was  instituted,  and  the 
new  recruits  carried  through  the  disease  before  they 
entered  upon  active  service.  One  of  the  districts 
for  inoculation  was  at  Morristown  ;  and,  in  order  to 
induce  the  inhabitants  to  open  their  doors  to  the 
sick,  the  army  surgeons  were  directed  to  inoculate 
their  families  without  charge.  Never  was  a  wise 
and  beneficent  measure  more  completely  success- 
ful.^ 

In  our  study  of  these  things  we  must  still  bear 
in  mind  that  they  were  done,  not  by  means  of  the 
vivifying  energy  of  a  good  government,  but  in  de- 
spite of  the  hesitations  and  delays  of  a  weak  gov- 

1  Ramsay,  History  of  the  Ameri-  as  his  professional  tastes  led  him  to 
can  Revolution,  Vol.  I.  p.  327,  whom  give  particular  attention  to  the  sub- 
I  cite  in  preference  to  many  others,    ject. 


330  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

ernment.  The  machinery  by  which  the  work  was 
accomplished  was  made  while  the  work  was  doing; 
and  even  after  it  had  been  made,  it  was  often  diffi- 
cult to  keep  the  parts  together.  When  the  hospi- 
tals were  organized,  hundreds  that  might  have 
been  saved  had  alread}^  died  for  want  of  them. 
When  the  quartermaster  distributed  the  clothes 
and  shoes,  half  the  army  was  nearly  naked  and 
barefooted.  When  the  commissary  brought  in  his 
supply  of  provisions,  the  men  were  on  the  brink 
of  starvation.  When  the  paymaster  came  round 
with  money,  biting  want  had  already  compelled 
both  soldier  and  officer  to  pledge  his  share  in  ad- 
vance for  scarce  half  its  value. 

"  It  is  tlie  peculiar  misfortune  of  this  army,"  Washing- 
ton writes  to  Greene  in  May,  "  to  have,  generally  speak- 
ing, the  heads  of  the  different  depai'tments  always  absent 
when  they  arc  most  wanted.  Two  months  was  I  labor- 
ing as  liard  as  I  could  to  get  the  commissary-general  to 
this  place,  and  had  scarcely  accomplished  it  before  the 
Congress  ordered  him  to  Philadelphia ;  from  whence  I 
have  used  my  utmost  endeavors  to  bring  liim  back,  but  am 
answered  tliat  he  is  detained  by  order.  In  the  mean 
while,  the  army  may  starve."  ^ 

1  Sparks 's  Washington,  Vol.  IV.  p.  437.     See  also  a  passage  in  Vol.  V. 
p.  314. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

Improved  State  of  Public  Feeling.  —  Successful  Expeditions  and  their 
Effect.  —  Hamilton's  Entrance  into  Washington's  Family.  —  Corre- 
spondence with  John  Adams  resumed.  —  Washington's  Opinion  of 
the  Policy  of  Congress  in  the  Case  of  General  Lee.  —  Growth  of 
Hostility  in  Congress  towards  Washington.  —  Greene  sent  to  Phila- 
delphia. —  Appears  before  Congress.  —  Committee  appointed  to  con- 
fer with  him.  —  Letters.  —  Life  in  Philadelphia. — Returns  to  Camp. 

^T^HERE  was  one  bright  side,  however,  to  the 
-*-  picture  of  these  anxious  months.  The  spirit 
awakened  by  the  successes  of  Trenton  and  Prince- 
ton had  not  been  suffered  to  die  away.  "  The 
Tories  are  melting  away  very  fast  in  this  country," 
Greene  writes  to  his  wife  as  early  as  January. 
"  The  different  treatment  they  meet  with  from  the 
enemy  from  what  they  expect  works  great  ref- 
ormations." If  the  British  ventured  out  of  their 
stronghold,  they  were  boldly  attacked,  and  gener- 
ally with  a  sufficient  degree  of  success  to  excite 
a  desire  on  the  part  of  the  Americans  for  a  fur- 
ther trial  of  strength.  Three  of  these  encounters 
are  recorded  in  a  single  letter,  —  a  letter  from 
Baskingridge  of  February  24,  to  Colonel  G.  Wea- 
don,  Adjutant-General. 

"  A  large  foraging  party  of  the  enemy  came  out  yes- 
terday from  Amboy,  consisting  of  about  four  thousand ; 
our  people  attacked  them  with  various  success.  Colonel 
Striker  says  our  parties  killed  and  wounded  three  wagon- 


332  LIFE    OF    XATH.\^^\EL    GREENE.  ^  ""ITTT. 

loads.  Eleven  was  seen  dead  in  one  place.  The  enemy's 
cannon  gave  tlieni  a  great  superiority  over  our  people. 
The  foraging  party  continued  out  till  night,  and  our  par- 
ties followed  tliem  towards  Aniboy  till  quite  dark.  Our 
party  lost  about  eight  or  ten  men,  whether  killed,  wound- 
ed, or  taken  prisoners  is  uncertain.  This  party  took 
seven  prisoners.  The  party  that  made  this  attack  was 
from  General  Maxwell's  brigade,  Hand's  and  Striker's 
regiment,  and  part  of  Colonel  McKay's.  The  attack  be- 
gan about  eleven  in  the  forenoon.  I  was  out  from  home 
at  Turkey  reviewing  one  of  the  brigades,  or  else  I  should 
(have)  sent  an  express  last  night. 

"  Colonel  Johnson  was  down  with  a  party  of  Maryland 
militia,  —  made  an  attack  upon  Piscataway  ;  he  killed 
three,  and  if  his  men  had  stood  their  ground  they  would 
have  taken  forty  men.  He  formed  an  ambush,  and  sent 
out  a  flying  party  to  draw  them  into  it ;  it  succeeded  ac- 
cording to  his  expectation,  but  his  party  cowardly  deserted 
him  just  as  the  enemy  was  in  his  power. 

"  General  Warner  sent  out  a  party  last  night  to  bring 
off  their  picket  at  the  bridge.  The  guide  was  deceived 
in  the  ground,  and  led  the  party  between  the  out-sentries 
and  the  guard.  They  took  two  prisoners  and  drove  the 
enemy,  but  what  execution  was  done  is  uncertain." 

The  report  of  encounters  like  these,  amouuting 
sometimes,  like  Dickinson's  in  January,  and  Nel- 
son's in  February,  to  brilliant  captures,  was  spread 
over  the  country  by  letters  and  newspapers,  raising 
some  extravagant  expectations  indeed,  and  in  so 
far  acting  injuriously  upon  the  public  mind,  but 
generally  filling  it  with  hopes  that  prepared  the 
w.ay  for  more  vigorous  exertion.^     This  spirit  was 

1  Ramsay,  American   Revolution,     ington,  Vol.   I.  p.   140  (revised  edi- 
Ch.  XII.  ;  Marshall,  Life  of  Wash-    tion). 


I 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREEST:.  333 

fostered  also  by  the  cruelty  of  the  enemy,  who  had 
not  yet  discovered  how  completely  their  outrages 
durinor  the  invasion  of  December  had  imbittered 
the  inhabitants  against  them.  '•  The  enemy,"  says 
Greene,  in  a  short  postscript  to  Colonel  Weadon, 
"  killed  two  of  the  inhabitants  yesterday  because 
they  did  not  assist  them  with  their  wagons  to 
carry  off  their  dead.  One  they  shot  through  the 
head,  the  other  they  killed  with  a  bayonet." 

But  another  incident  of  this  time,  of  great  impor- 
tance to  the  common  cause,  but  to  Greene  a  bright 
gleam   of    sunshine,    ever    growing   brighter   and 
brigfhter  as  the   o-eneral  darkness  thickened,  was 
Hamilton's  entrance  into  the  familv  of  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief   as    aide-de-camp,    on    the    1st   of 
March.     Hamilton,  as  has  already  been  seen,  had 
attracted  Greene's  attention  during  the  summer  of 
'76,  but,  strongly  as  they  were  drawn  towards  each 
other,  their  intercourse  had  been  controlled  during 
the  busy  months  that  followed  by  their  relative  po- 
sitions and  duties  rather  than  bv  their  inclinations. 
Now,  however,  it  quickly  ripened  into  friendship. 
Greene  was  at  head-quarters  daily,  as  a  counsellor 
and  friend.     Hamilton  was  always  there  to  meet 
him  as  the  confidential  secretary  of  the  man  the}^ 
both  loved  and  honored.     Their  views  seldom  dif- 
fered, if  ever,  both  with  regard  to   persons  and  to 
thino-s,  and  each  found  in  the  other's  mind  an  en- 
ergy,  an  activity,  a  vigor  of  grasp,  a  breadth  of  com- 
prehension, a  quickness  of  conception,  and  a  power 
of  patient  thought,  which  he  recognized  as  the  dis- 


334  LIFE   OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

tinctive  characteristics  of  his  own.  Family  tradi- 
tion has  always  represented  Hamilton  as  the  object 
of  Greene's  peculiar  affection ;  and  Hamilton,  who 
lived  to  put  his  opinion  of  Greene  upon  record, 
bore  witness  to  "  the  enormous  powers  of  his  mind," 
under  circumstances  which  would  have  made  exag- 
geration a  satire.^ 

It  was  at  this  time  also  that  Greene's  correspond- 
ence with  John  Adams,  which  had  been  interrupt- 
ed during  Adams's  long  absence  from  Congress,  was 
resumed.  It  was  useful  as  a  means  of  brin^-ing;  his 
ideas  before  Congress,  and  occasionally  entering 
a  timel}^  protest  against  injudicious  measures.  It 
was  useful,  too,  as  a  means  of  ascertaining  the  views 
of  leading  men,  by  eliciting  those  of  a  man  who,  in 
despite  of  his  vanity  and  violent  passions,  was  un- 
doubtedly a  chief  among  them.  The  first  of  these 
letters  was  written  from  Baskingridge,  March  3d. 

"  It  is  a  long  time  since  I  wrote  to  you  or  you  to  me  ; 
who  stands  in  debt  upon  the  score  of  letters  I  cannot  tell ; 
therefore  I  shall  begin  anew.  If  you  have  time  and  in- 
clination, you  will  give  it  an  answer;  if  not,  I  shall  con- 
sider it  as  the  ladies  do  their  visits  after  marriage  ;  if 
there  's  no  return,  the  acquaintance  drops. 

"  I  believe  you  are  pretty  well  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  the  observation  I  made  to  you  last  summer,  whicli  was 
that  you  were  playing  a  desperate  game.  I  fancy  your 
ideas  and  mine  differed  very  widely  at  tiiat  time  respcct- 

1  I   borrow   this   expression    from  one  of  tlie  audience.     Surely  every 

Ilaniilion's     Kulo^Mum    on    Greene,  word  that  was  written  for  such  an 

protiounced     hcfore     the     Cincinnati  audience    would    be    carefully    jion- 

July   18,1789.     Nothing  but  illness  dered.     See  Hamilton's  Works,  Vol. 

prevented  Washington  from  forming  II.  p.  482. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  335 

inor  the  state  of  things.  You  consulted  your  own  feelings 
rather  than  the  history  of  mankind  in  general.  I  am 
sensible  you  have  not  the  most  exalted  opinions  of  your 
generals.  Who  is  in  fault  ?  Every  one  would  wislj  to 
be  an  Epaminondas,  Sertorius,  or  Turenne,  if  tiiey  could, 
but  if  Nature  has  refused  to  crown  the  sons  of  America 
with  such  choice  gifts,  who  is  to  blame  ?  either  she  or  we  ? 
We  cannot  be  blamable  only  as  we  stand  in  the  way  of 
better  men.  I  can  speak  for  myself,  although  I  have  no 
wish  to  leave  the  service,  yet  I  value  the  freedom  and 
happiness  of  America  so  much  higher  than  I  do  my  own 
personal  glory,  that  I  am  ready  at  all  times  to  give  place 
to  a  better  man. 

"  I  am  sensible,  from  a  review  of  the  last  campaign, 
there  appears  some  considerable  defects  in  the  counsels 
and  conduct  of  its  operations ;  but  give  me  leave  to  tell 
you,  sir,  that  our  difficulties  were  inconceivable  to  those 
that  were  not  eye-witnesses  to  them.  To  expect  that  brav- 
ery, firmness,  and  good  conduct  from  undisciplined  troops 
that  is  only  to  be  found  among  veteran  soldiers  [is  un- 
just]. General  Howe  had,  the  last  campaign,  a  large  and 
well-supported  army  ;  this  army  [was]  strongly  appointed 
in  all  its  operations,  with  a  very  formidable  naval  force. 
Our  forces  were  hastily  drawn  together,  no  time  to  dis- 
cipline or  form  them,  —  very  few  that  had  ever  been  in 
action.  We  had  the  enemy's  intentions  to  collect,  a 
large  extent  of  country  on  the  bays  and  rivers  to  guard. 
It  is  true  we  have  met  with  some  misfortunes,  and  great 
ones  too,  but  not  more  so  than  might  have  been  expected, 
considering  their  strength  and  our  situation.  Perhaps 
the  generals  may  be  thought  blamable  for  not  fighting 
more.  I  must  confess  I  advised  to  the  bringing  on  an 
action  at  the  White  Plains,  and  then  thouglit  it  right,  as 
our  army  was  wasting  away  and  the  ground  being  very 
strong   on   which  the   army  lay  ;   but  the  discipline  of 


336  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

the  Britisli  troops  and  the  superiority  of  their  artillery 
might  have  given  a  general  defeat.  In  that  case,  the 
consequences  would  have  been  terril)le.  The  alternative 
wa§  disagreeable  ;  if  we  did  not  defeat  the  enemy,  the 
dissolution  of  our  army  was  soon  to  take  place  and  they 
left  at  liberty  to  range  at  large.  General  Howe  has 
invariably  pursued  the  maxims  of  an  invader,  this  cam- 
paign, endeavoring  to  bring  us  to  a  general  action  and 
avoid  skirmishing.  General  Washington,  as  every  de- 
fender ought,  has  followed  directly  the  contrary  conduct 
by  endeavoring  to  skirmish  with  the  enemy  at  all  times 
and  avoid  a  general  engagement.  The  short  term  of 
enlistment  and  the  still  shorter  aid  of  the  militia  has 
lost  us  almost  all  the  benefit  of  these  skirmishes.  Amer- 
ica abounds  with  materials  to  form  as  good  an  army  as 
the  world  can  produce  ;  but  it  requires  time,  for  nothing 
but  habit  makes  the  soldier,  and  pride  the  officer.  I  am 
in  hopes,  if  the  new  army  fills  agreeable  to  the  resolutions 
of  Congress,  that  America  will  display  in  some  future 
campaign  as  much  heroism  and  bravery  as  Europe  can 
boast  of.  "With  these  advantages,  if  tlie  reputation  of 
the  American  arms  is  not  supported,  let  censure  fall  on 
the  heads  of  the  guilty.  I  know  that  success  marks  the 
man  of  wisdom,  while  the  unfortunate  are  execrated 
without  any  allowance  for  Providential  accidents  or  mis- 
fortunes. Let  us  bury  our  past  errors  in  the  cabinet  and 
field,  and  join  heart  and  hand  in  concerting  and  execut- 
ing the  most  effectual  measures  to  free  America  from 
her  cruel  oppressors. 

"  I  beg  leave  to  make  some  inquiry  into  the  policy  of 
some  late  resolutions  of  Congress  that  respects  General 
Lee.  Why  is  he  denied  his  request  of  having  some 
persons  appointed  to  confer  with  him  ?  Can  any  injury 
arise  ?  Will  it  rellect  any  dishonor  upon  your  body  to 
gratify  the  request  of  one  of  your  generals  ?     Suppose 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  337 

any  misfortune  should  attend  him  immediately,  will  not 
all  his  friends  say  he  was  made  a  sacrifice  of  ?  that  you  had 
it  in  your  power  to  save  him,  but  refused  your  aid  ?  He 
says  in  his  letter  he  has  something  of  the  last  importance 
to  propose  with  respect  to  himself,  and  adds,  perhaps  not 
less  so  as  to  the  public.  You  cannot  suppose  the  general 
would  hold  out  a  profession  to  bring  us  into  disgrace  or 
servitude.  If  he  would,  it  is  certainly  our  interest  to 
know  it  seasonably,  that  we  may  not  make  a  sacrifice  for 
a  man  that  is  undeserving  of  it.  If  he  would  not,  'tis 
certainly  a  piece  of  justice  due  to  his  merit  to  give  him  a 
hearing.  To  hear  what  he  has  to  propose  cannot  injure 
us,  for  we  shall  be  at  liberty  to  approve  or  reject  his 
proposition.  But  let  us  consider  it  in  another  point  of 
view.  Will  not  our  enemies,  the  disaffected,  improve  this 
report  to  our  prejudice  ?  They  will  naturally  say,  that 
General  Howe  had  a  mind  to  offer  some  terms  of  peace, 
and  that  you  refused  to  lend  an  ear  or  give  him  a  hear- 
ing, and  that  you  were  obstinately  bent  on  pursuing  the 
war,  although  evidently  to  the  ruin  of  the  people.  Had 
you  not  consented  to  hear  General  and  Lord  Howe  last 
spring,  the  public  never  would  have  been  satisfied,  but 
that  there  might  have  been  an  accommodation  upon  safe 
and  honorable  conditions.  For  my  own  part,  I  could 
wish  you  to  give  General  Lee  a  hearing.  But  whether 
you  give  him  a  hearing  or  not,  I  cannot  help  thinking 
the  sacrifice  you  are  making  for  General  Lee  is  impolitic 
as  respects  the  Hessians,  and  unjust  as  it  respects  our 
prisoners  with  General  Howe.  The  cartel  that  was  set- 
tled between  General  Washington  and  General  Howe,  was 
an  exchange  of  officers  for  officers  of  equal  rank,  soldiers 
for  soldiers,  and  citizens  for  citizens.  General  Howe  has 
never  refused  this  mode  of  exchange,  and  is  now  press- 
ing of  us  to  comply  with  it.  Had  we  an  officer  of  equal 
rank  with  General  Lee,  we  might  demand  him  with  some 

22 


338  LIFE   OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

propriety,  or  had  we  an  equal  or  superior  number  of 
officers  prisoners  with  us,  the  doctrine  of  retaliation  would 
be  reasonable  and  just;  but  to  retaliate  for  the  injury  of- 
fered to  one  is  bringing  distress  on  many  for  no  valuable 
purpose.  General  Howe  has  upwards  of  three  hundred  of 
our  officers  in  his  hands ;  and  we  only  about  fifty  of  his. 
If  we  put  six  field-officers  in  confinement  because  Gen- 
eral Lee  is  kept  confined,  General  Howe  will  immediately 
order  an  equal  number  of  ours  under  the  same  confine- 
ment. The  officers  themselves  will  have  cause  of  com- 
plaint, and  all  their  friends  will  clamor  loudly.  If  Gen- 
eral Howe  should  not  retaliate  upon  our  officers,  but  call 
them  together,  show  them  they  are  in  his  power,  by  us  de- 
voted to  destruction,  and  then  enlarge  them,  it  will  totally 
detach  them  and  their  connections  from  our  cause.  If 
we  make  a  sacrifice  of  the  enemy,  we  don't  hear  the 
groans  and  see  the  tears  of  their  mourning  friends  ;  but 
if  any  of  our  officers  fall  a  sacrifice,  these  multiplied  dis- 
tresses are  amongst  us  continually  sounding  in  our  ears. 
But  the  worst  consequences  and  the  most  to  be  dreaded  is 
the  effect  it  will  have  upon  the  Hessians.  The  mild  and 
gentle  treatment  the  Hessian  prisoners  have  received 
since  they  have  been  in  our  possession  has  produced  a 
great  alteration  in  their  disposition.  Desertion  prevails 
among  them.  One  whole  brigade  refused  to  fight  or  do 
duty,  and  were  sent  prisoners  to  New  York.  Rancor 
and  hatred  prevails  between  them  and  the  British  sol- 
diery. It  sliould  be  our  policy  to  increase  this  hatred,  not 
take  a  measure  that  may  heal  the  difference.  General 
Howe  has  been  spreading  papers  among  the  Hessians 
with  accounts  of  our  having  sold  the  Hessian  prisoners 
for  slaves.  This  severity  to  their  officers  will  but  too 
strongly  confirm  them  in  the  account.  If  we  can  alien- 
ate the  foreign  troops  from  the  British  service,  we  inevi- 
tably ruin  Great  Britain,  for  her  own  natural  strength 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  339 

is  totally  insufficient  to  conquer  and  hold  in  subjection 
these  States.  If  the  foreign  troops  that  are  here  can 
be  debauched,  Great  Britain  must  be  discouraged  from 
employing  any  more,  as  so  little  reliance  is  to  be  placed 
upon  them.  For  these  and  many  other  reasons  that  will 
readily  occur  to  you,  I  would  wish  the  resolution  respect- 
ing retaliation  might  be  suspended  for  a  time,  at  least, 
especially  as  General  Lee's  confinement  is  not  strict. 
The  situation  of  our  army  forbids  our  doing  anything 
that  may  alarm  the  fears  of  the  people  anew.  We  have 
but  the  shadow  of  force ;  and  are  more  indebted  to  the 
weather  for  security  than  to  our  own  strength.  I  fear 
your  late  promotions  will  give  great  disgust  to  many. 
But  whatever  promotions  you  intend  to  make,  pray  let 
them  be  completed  as  soon  as  possible,  that  those  difficul- 
ties of  reconciling  discontented  persons  may  not  be  at  a 
time  when  harmony  and  concord  is  necessary.  You  '11 
excuse  the  freedom  I  have  taken,  and  pardon  what 's 
amiss."  ^ 

1  Greene   MSS.     This  is  the  let-  ring  a  single  step  of  promotion  to  the 

ter  which  suggested  to  Mr.  Charles  service  of  the  public,  must  be  bridled. 

F.  Adams  the  following  remarkable  It  is   incompatible   with    republican 

commentary  :  "  General  Greene  con-  principles.     I  hope,  for  my  own  part, 

tinued  to  write  as  he  had  done  the  that  Congress  will  elect  annually  all 

year  before.     He  repeated  his  convic-  the   general  officers-      If,  in   conse- 

tion   that   the   game  was   desperate,  quence    of    this,    some    great    men 

though   this   would   make  no  differ-  should  be  obliged  at  the  year's  end  to 

ence  in  his  resolution  to  see  it  out."  go  home  and  serve  their  country  in 

Mr.    Adams's     answer    contains,  some  other  capacity,  not  less  neces- 

among  other   passages,   the    follow-  sary    and    better    adapted    to    their 

incr :  —  genius,    I    do    not    think    that    the 

"  Our  late  promotions  may  possi-  country  would  be  ruined.  Perhaps 
bly  give  disgust,  but  that  cannot  be  it  would  be  no  harm.  Tlie  officers  of 
avoided.  Tliis  delicate  point  of  the  army  ought  to  consider  that  th.e 
honor,  which  is  really  one  of  the  rank,  the  dignity,  and  the  rights  of 
most  putrid  corruptions  of  absolute  whole  States  are  of  more  importance 
monarchy,  —  I  mean  the  honor  of  than  this  point  of  honor;  more,  in- 
maintaining  a  rank  superior  to  abler  deed,  than  the  solid  glory  of  any  par- 
men, —  I  mean  the  honor  of  prefer-  ticular  officer.    The  States  insist,  with 


340  LIFE    OF   NATH.ANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

If  we  turn  to  Washington's  correspondence,  we 
shall  find  him  writing,  on  the  1st  of  March,  to  the 
President  of  Congress :  — 

"  Though  I  sincerely  commiserate  the  misfortunes  of 
General  Lee,  and  feel  much  for  his  present  unhappy  situa- 
tion, yet,  with  all  possible  deference  to  the  opinion  of  Con- 
gress, I  fear  that  these  resolutions  will  not  have  the  desired 
effect,  —  are  founded  in  impolicy,  and  will,  if  adhered  to, 
produce  consequences  of  an  extensive  and  melancholy 
nature."  And,  on  the  2d,  to  Robert  Morris  :  "I  wish,  with 
all  my  heart.  Congress  had  gratified  General  Lee,  in  his 
request.     If  not  too  late,  I  wish  they  would  do  it  still." 

In  other  letters  his  language  is  even  stronger, 
with  regard  to  Lee;  and  as  to  the  system  of  choos- 
ing general  officers  from  each  State,  in  proportion 
"  to  the  number  of  men  which  they  furnish,  ....  I 
confess,"  he  writes  to  Arnold,  on  the  3d  of  April, 
"  this  is  a  strange  mode  of  reasoning."  ^ 

It  is  evident,  from  this  constant  harmony  of  opin- 
ion upon  the  most  important  subjects,  that  Wash- 
inscton  and  Greene  were  in  the  habit  of  discussino; 
them  together ;  and  if  we  would  give  the  power  of 

great  justice  and  sound  policy,  on  voting  in  a  "  warm  room,"  and  eating 
having  a  share  of  the  general  officers  luxurious  dinners,  the  other  "  freez- 
in  some  proportion  to  the  quotas  of  ing  and  starving  on  a  bleak  hillside," 
troops  tliey  are  to  raise.  This  prin-  — I  use  Washington's  words,  —  and 
ciple  has  occasioned  many  of  our  late  remember,  moreover,  that  it  was  no 
■promotions,  and  it  ought  to  satisfy  longer  by  votes,  but  by  hard  fight- 
gentlemen.  But  if  it  does  not,  they  ing,  that  the  contest  was  to  be  dccid- 
as  well  as  the  public  must  abide  the  ed,  we  may  be  excused  for  wishing 
consequences  of  their  discontent."  that  John  Adams  had  never  written 
When  we  consider  the  relative  po-  these  words.  See  Adams's  Works, 
sitions    of    the    Congress    and     the  Vol.  I.  p.  263. 

army,   and    remember   their  relative  i  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.   IV. 

duties, —  one   party   discussing    and  pp.  334,341,342,378. 


/ 


1777.1  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  341 

patient  investigation  and  severe  examination  which 
each  of  them  is  known  to  have  possessed  its  due 
weight,  it  is  fair  to  suppose  that  each  brought  to 
the  discussion  a  full  share  of  independent  thought. 
It  is  equally  evident,  from  this  and  all  his  other 
letters  of  this  period,  that  Greene  was  confident 
the  contest  would  be  successful,  if  the  people  did 
their  duty.  "I  hope,"  ends  one  of  his  letters  to 
Governor  Cooke,  "if  heaven  continues  to  smile 
upon  us,  and  the  respective  States  furnish  their 
proportion  of  men,  to  exterminate  from  this  land 
of  liberty  those  hostile  invaders  of  human  happi- 
ness and  the  rights  of  mankind."  ^ 

It  was  all-important  that  the  door  of  Congress 
should  be  kept  open  for  Washington's  friends,  for 
it  had  been  opened  very  wide  to  his  enemies.  The 
cabal  which  reached  its  height  early  in  the  follow- 
ing winter  had  already  begun  to  raise  its  loathsome 
head.  And  if  we  follow  closely  the  action  of  Con- 
gress upon  the  counsels  and  suggestions  of  the 
Commander-in-chief,  we  shall  discover  even  in  its 
own  meagre  journals  the  traces  of  an  incipient 
hostility.  In  spite  of  Washington's  earnest  and  re- 
peated representations.  Congress  had  never  taken 
measures  in  season  for  filling  up  the  army,  and  mak- 
ing the  necessary  appointments.  Yet,  in  February, 
while  Washington  was  still  holding  the  enemy  at 
bay,  with  a  shadow  of  an  army,  it  did  not  hesitate 
to  insert  in  its  resolutions  a  "  pompous  paragraph  " 
about  the  "  earnest  desire  of  Congress  to  make  the 

1  Greene  MSS.     Letter  of  March  6,  1777. 


342  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

army  under  the  iinmediate  command  of  General 
Washington  sufficiently  strong,  not  only  to  curb 
and  confine  the  enemy  within  their  present  quar- 
ters, and  prevent  them  from  deriving  support  of 
any  kind  from  the  country,  but,  by  the  Divine  bless- 
ing, totally  to  subdue  them  before  they  are  rein- 
forced." Four  States  were  against  this  paragraph, 
six  —  the  four  Eastern,  with  Virginia  and  Georgia 
—  in  favor  of  it.  What  it  really  meant  may  be 
gathered  from  a  letter  of  Mr.  Burke,  of  North 
Carolina,  to  the  Governor :  "  There  appeared, 
through  this  whole  debate,  a  great  desire,  in  some 
of  the  delegates  of  the  Eastern  States,  and  in  one 
from  New  Jersey,  to  insult  the  General."  ^ 

It  is  not  difficult  to  imag-ine  how  Washino-ton 
looked  when  he  handed  the  letter,  with  this  half- 
drawn  dagger  in  it.  to  Greene,  and  what  a  bitter 
smile  rested  upon  Greene's  lips  as  he  read  it. 
i'  Could  I  accomplish  the  important  objects  so 
eagerly  wished  by  Congress,"  wrote  Washington, 
in  reply,  "  I  should  be  happy  indeed.  But  what 
prospect  or  hope  can  there  be  of  my  effecting  so 
desirable  a  work  at  this  time  ?  The  enclosed  re- 
turn, to  which  I  solicit  the  most  serious  attention 
of  Congress,  comprehends  the  whole  force  I  have 
in  Jersey."  That  force  amounted  to  three  thou- 
sand men  fit  for  service,  two  thousand  of  whom 
were  mihtia.^ 

1  Journals  of  Congress,  February        ^  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV. 
22,     1777.      Sparks's    Washington,     p.  362. 
Vol.  IV.  pp.  326,  .^27,  note. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  343 

One  of  the  pretexts  employed  by  "Washington's 
enemies  in  Congress  was  the  pretext  of  State 
rights,  and  Mr.  Abraham  Clark,  a  delegate  from 
New  Jersey,  came  prominently  forward,  as  one  of 
its  earliest  advocates.  To  counteract  the  injurious 
effects  of  the  proclamation  issued,  on  the  30th  of 
November,  by  Lord  and  Sir  William  Howe,^  Wash- 
ington had  issued,  on  the  25th  of  January,  a  coun- 
ter-proclamation, calling  upon  all  who  had  taken 
out  protections  from  the  English  general  to  give 
them  up,  and  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
United  States.  "  The  General's  proclamation  is  a 
violation  of  our  civil  rights,"  wrote  Mr.  Clark  to 
Mr.  Dayton.  "Each  State  requires  an  oath  to 
that  particular  State.  In  many  other  things  the 
proclamation  is  exceptionable,  and  very  improper. 
I  believe  the  General  is  honest,  but  I  think  him 
fallible."  2 

How  far  Washington  was  aware  of  the  existence 
of  this  hostile  spirit  in  Congress  is  uncertain,  but 
he  was  well  aware  that  something  more  urgent 
than  a  letter  was  required  to  induce  that  dilatory 
body  to  hasten  its  steps.  Could  he  have  gone  to 
Philadelphia  himself,  laid  his  plans  publicly  before 
Congress  as  a  whole,  and  reasoned  in  private  with 
individual  members,  the  ascendency  of  his  per- 
sonal character  might  have  done  much  towards 
filling  the  opening  breach,  and  obtaining  the  neces- 
sary action.     But  he  could  not  leave  the  army  at 

1  Force,  American   Archives,   5th         ^  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV. 
Series,  Vol.  III.  p.  927.  pp.  297,  298,  note. 


344  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

SO  critical  a  moment,  and  therefore,  as  the  nearest 
approach  to  going  himself,  he  sent  Greene, 

"  The  difficulty,  if  not  the  impossibility,"  he  writes  the 
President  of  Congress,  on  the  18th  of  March,  "  of  giving 
Congress  a  just  idea  of  our  situation  (and  of  several  other 
important  matters  requiring  their  earliest  attention),  by 
letter,  has  induced  me  to  prevail  on  Major-General  Greene 
to  wait  upon  them  for  that  purpose.  This  gentleman  is 
so  much  in  my  confidence,  so  intimately  acquainted  witli 
my  ideas,  with  our  strength  and  our  weakness,  with  every- 
tliing  respecting  the  army,  that  I  have  thought  it  unneces- 
sary to  particularize  or  prescribe  any  certain  line  of  duty 
or  inquiries  for  him.  I  shall  only  say,  from  the  rank  he 
holds  as  an  able  and  good  officer,  in  the  estimation  of  all 
who  know  him,  he  deserves  the  greatest  respect,  and  much 
regard  is  due  to  his  opinions  in  the  line  of  his  profession. 
He  has  upon  his  mind  such  matters  as  appear  to  me  most 
material  to  be  immediately  considered,  and  many  more 
will  probably  arise  during  tlie  intercourse  you  may  think 
proper  to  honor  him  with  ;  on  all  which  I  wish  to  have 
the  sense  of  Congress,  and  the  result  of  such  deliberations 
as  may  be  formed  thereupon."  ^ 

Greene's  instructions  are  dated  on  the  same 
day :  — 

"  The  necessity  of  having  the  Congress  well  informed 
of  many  matters  essential  to  the  well-being  of  this  army, 
and  the  impracticability  of  doing  this  by  letter,  have  in- 
duced me  to  request  you,  who  intimately  know  our  cir- 
cumstances, to  repair  immediately  to  Philadelphia  for  this 
purpose,  and,  at  the  same  time,  ascertain  how  we  are  to 
be  supplied  with  arms,  and  many  other  articles,  in  which 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV.  p.  368. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  345 

we  are  exceedingly  deficient.  To  enumerate  the  several 
matters  of  information  necessary  to  be  given,  and  the  in- 
quiries proper  to  be  made,  would  be  as  needless  as  end- 
less ;  your  own  good  sense,  assisted  by  such  hints  as  you 
have  received,  will  be  abundantly  sufficient, 

"  Two  or  three  things,  however,  I  must  in  a  more  par- 
ticular manner  recommend  to  your  attention  ;  one  is  the 
embarrassment  I  am  laid  under  with  respect  to  carrying 
the  exchange  of  prisoners  into  execution,  agreeably  to  the 
cartel  settled  with  General  Howe,  by  order  of  Congress, 
on  account  of  the  confinement  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Campbell  and  the  Hessian  field-officers.  I  would  have 
you  inquire  of  the  quartermaster-general  how  he  stands 
provided  with  tents,  ammunition,  ca,rts,  wagons  for  in- 
trenching tools,  and  hatchets,  or  tomahawks  ;  also,  of  the 
commissary  of  stores,  how  he  proceeds  with  his  casting  of 
cannon  and  making  of  cartridges,  of  which  numbers 
should  be  in  readiness  ;  and,  generally,  what  forwardness 
the  business  of  the  laboratory  is  in,  and  urge  him  to  the 
most  diligent  discharge  of  the  duties  thereof. 

"  One  thing  in  particular  I  beg  of  you  to  impress 
strongly  upon  Congress,  and  that  is  the  necessity  of  keep- 
ing the  paymaster  regularly  supplied  with  tlie  article  of 
cash  ;  without  it  everything  moves  slowly ;  and  many  and 
great  disadvantages  flow  from  the  want  of  it,  as  we  have 
most  wofully  experienced  of  late  in  numberless  instances. 
As  the  establishment  of  the  light-horse,  with  respect  to 
the  pay,  seems  to  be  upon  an  unstable  footing,  and  it  is 
indispensably  necessary  that  both  officers  and  men  should 
know  what  they  have  to  depend  upon,  I  should  be  glad  if 
the  pay  could  be  settled  upon  such  a  just  and  liberal  foot- 
ing as  to  give  satisfaction  to  the  parties."  ^ 

With  those  documents  in  hand,  and  in  his  mind 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV.  p.  367. 


346  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

things  still  more  important  which  it  was  not 
deemed  wise  to  put  upon  paper,  Greene  repaired 
promptly  to  Philadelphia.  It  was  his  first  sight  of 
the  Quaker  City,  and  his  first  meeting  with  Con- 
gress. "  A  letter  of  the  18th  from  General  Wash- 
ington," says  the  Journal  for  Thursday,  March 
20th,  "  brought  by  General  Greene  was  read  :  — 

"  Ordered^  That  General  Greene  attend  Congress  to- 
morrow at  eleven  o'clock." 

Eleven  o'clock  came,  and  Greene  presented  him- 
self at  the  door ;  not,  however,  if  we  may  trust 
his  well-known  habit  of  turning  every  moment  and 
every  circumstance  to  account,  without  having 
talked  awhile  in  the  outer  hall  with  members 
whom  he  knew,  and  sought  the  acquaintance  of 
others  whom  it  was  desirable  to  know.  Then,  with 
somewhat  of  ceremony  borrowed  from  England,  he 
was  ushered  into  Independence  Hall.  There,  in  a 
chair  raised  a  little  above  the  others,  dignified, 
graceful,  with  a  ready  smile  and  a  fluent  tongue, 
sat  John  Hancock,  the  first  signer  of  the  Declara- 
tion. Right  below  him  was  a  lean  man,  with  deep 
wrinkles  furrowing  his  face,  eyes  that  flashed  and 
sparkled  as  they  looked  out  from  their  deep  sock- 
ets, and  lank  white  hair  combed  straight  down  upon 
his  head,  but  not  lono-  enouo;h  to  cover  his  ears. 

7  DO 

The  table  before  him  covered  with  papers,  and 
the  busy  pen  showed  at  first  glance  that  this  was 
Secretary  Charles  Thompson,  whose  name  stands 
second    on    the    Declaration.  ^       Greene    believed 

1  Nouveau  Voyage  dans  rAm(?rique,  etc.,  par  iL  I'Abbu  Robin. 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  347 

already  in  union,  yearned  for  it,  looking  to  it  as 
the  only  source  of  strength  and  peace  and  pros- 
perity. But  did  not  some  misgiving  rise  in  his 
mind  as  he  turned  from  the  firm  Puritan  face 
of  Sam  Adams,  written  all  over  with  I  can  and  I 
will,  to  the  You  must  and  you  shall  that 
looked  out  with  equal  distinctness  from  the  keen 
eyes  of  the  South  Carolina  Rutledge  and  the  thin 
lips  of  Eichard  Henry  Lee  ?  William  Ellery  sat 
in  Samuel  Ward's  place,  —  a  good  and  a  true  man; 
but  did  not  Greene  long  for  the  familiar  face  of 
that  wise  and  upright  friend,  to  tell  him  what  the 
lurkmg  distrust  in  the  eye  of  Abraham  Clark 
meant  ?  Yet  be  it  mistrust,  or  caution,  or  curiosi- 
ty, or  whatever  it  might,  he  was  there  to  do  Wash- 
ington's will  and  speak  in  Washington's  name ;  and 
his  heart  and  mind  told  him  that  the  salvation  of 
the  country,  and  all  the  interests  involved  in  her 
holy  cause,  depended  upon  his  doing  both  firmly 
but  wisely.  W^hy  did  not  Charles  Thompson  write 
out  in  full  the  words  that  were  said  during  that 
two  hours'  interview  ?  and  why  has  not  some  diary 
preserved  for  us  the  picture  of  the  soldier  in  his 
uniform,  returning  to  his  habits  as  a  legislator, 
and  addressing  the  national  council  in  the  same 
straightforward  and  earnest  language  with  which 
he  had  so  often  addressed  the  Rhode  Island  As- 
sembly ?  ^  But  all  that  Charles  Thompson  has  re- 
corded is, — 

1  It  is  impossible   to  touch  upon    and  not  regret  the  meagreness  of  its 
any  interesting  incident  in  the  history    Journals, 
of  the  Congress  of  the  Revolution 


348  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

"  Ordered^  That  tlic  committee  appointed  on  the  13th 
to  confer  with  General  Gates  do  also  confer  with  General 
Greene  on  the  several  matters  given  in  charge  to  him  by 
General  Washington,  and  that  three  members  be  added 
to  the  committee. 

"The  members  chosen,  Mr.  Wilson,  Mr.  S.  Adams, 
and  Mr.  Witherspoon."  ^ 

The  members  of  the  first  committee  were  Mr. 
Roberdean,  Mr.  L.  Morris,  Mr.  Sherman,  Mr.  Whip- 
ple, and  Mr.  Lovell,^  —  names  that  suggest  little 
as  yet,  though  by  winter  we  shall  find  Mr.  Lovell 
writing  things  which,  it  may  be  hoped,  he  was 
soon  sorry  for.  With  this  committee  Greene 
passed  two  evenings  in  full  and  free  discussion. 
One  of  the  subjects  he  felt  most  interest  in  was 
the  authority  of  councils  of  war,  which,  as  the 
sequel  shows,  he  did  not  hold  in  very  high  esteem, 
never  calling  them  himself  except  when  he  had 
alread}'  made  up  his  mind  not  to  fight.  But  Wash- 
ino-ton,  actinii:  with  that  cautious  consideration 
which  his  peculiar  position  required,  had  thus  far 
held  himself  bound  to  follow  their  opinion  even 
where  it  disagreed  with  his  own.  Is  this  the  inten- 
tion of  Congress  ?  was  the  question  which  Greene 
brought  before  the  committee ;  and,  on  their  rec- 
ommendation. Congress 

"  Resolved,  That  General  Washington  be  informed 
that  it  never  was  the  intention  of  Congress  that  he  should 
be  bound  by  a  majority  of  voice  in  a  council  of  war,  con- 
trary to  his  own  judgment."^ 

1  Journals  of  Congress,  March  21,  1777.     John  Adams  has  a  curious 

1777.  passage  upon  this  subject  in  a  letter 

■^  Ibid.,  March  13.  to  his  wife.    Letter  cV.  p.  206. 
8  Journals  of  Congress,  March  24, 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  349 

Before  the  next  year  was  over,  the  battle  of 
Monmouth,  fought  m  opposition  to  the  decision 
of  a  council  of  war,  showed  how  wise  and  timely 
that  resolution  had  been.  In  other  respects,  too, 
Greene  appears  to  have  had  no  reason  to  com- 
plain of  his  committee ;  nor,  as  far  as  resolves 
could  go,  of  anything  in  Congress  itself  but  its 
useless  delays.  But  Congress  was,  unhappily,  far 
more  skilled  in  framing  resolutions  than  in  car- 
rying them  into  execution,  and  this  it  was  that 
tried  so  sorely  men  like  Washington  and  Greene, 
full  of  energy  and  action.  How  Greene  sped  in 
all  these  matters,  and  what  else  he  did,  he  tells 
Washington  in  a  long  letter  written  just  before 
his  return  :  — 

"  I  received  vour  letter  of  the  21st.  I  was  with  a  com- 
mittee  of  Congress,  who  had  the  business  of  the  cartel 
and  other  matters  under  consideration,  when  your  Excel- 
lency's letter  was  delivered  me.  I  had  explained  the 
matter  fully  to  the  Congress  and  committee.  I  was  two 
hours  before  the  former,  and  two  evenings  with  the  latter. 
I  believe  the  business  of  the  cartel  will  be  settled  agree- 
able to  your  wishes,  that  is,  General  Howe  acknowledging 
General  Lee  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  holding  him  subject 
to  exchange  whenever  we  have  an  equivalent  to  offer,  — 
the  full  execution  of  the  old  cartel  to  take  place  as  your 
Excellency  and  General  Howe  can  agree,  with  full  powers 
to  annex  such  further  conditions  as  may  be  thought  ne- 
cessary to  promote  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  the  un- 
fortunate. I  explained  fully  the  state  of  the  army  to  the 
Congress  ;  but  I  fear  they  can  do  but  little  more  than  has 
been  done.      There  has  gone  from  the  city  about  seven 


350  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.VEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

hundred  men  within  the  week  past,  a  thousand  more  will 
be  ready  in  eight  or  ten  days.  The  Congress  have  wrote 
to  Governor  Johnson  to  forward  the  Maryland  troops,  and 
to  the  Governor  of  the  three  lower  counties.  The  Mary- 
land delegates  which  arrived  in  town  last  night  say  their 
regiments  are  above  half  full,  upon  an  average.  It  is 
reported,  with  some  degree  of  confidence,  that  the  new 
North  Carolina  regiments  are  on  their  march  this  side  of 
Virginia,  but  I  have  no  sufficient  foundation  for  the  re- 
port to  give  full  credit  to  it. 

"  I  believe  Congress  thinks  the  alteration  of  the  route 
of  the  Massachusetts  troops  exceedingly  judicious.  I  ex- 
plained to  the  House  your  Excellency's  ideas  of  the  next 
campaign.  It  appeared  to  be  new  to  them  ;  however,  they 
readily  admitted  the  probability  from  the  reasons  afforded. 
I  yesterday  went  to  view  the  forts  and  fortifications  below 
the  city.  I  think  them  quite  insufficient  for  the  purpose, 
without  a  very  strong  opposition.  I  have  rode  round  the 
city  and  up  the  Schuylkill,  and  give  it  as  my  opinion, 
that  it  cannot  be  fortified  to  advantage.  The  approaches 
may  be  made  so  many  ways,  that  it  would  take  a  greater 
number  of  troops  to  defend  the  works  than  it  would  be 
prudent  to  have  shut  up  in  the  city.  However,  I  think 
an  advantageous  line  may  be  drawn  from  the  Schuylkill 
to  the  Delaware,  beginning  at  Morris's  seat  on  the  Schuyl- 
kill, and  running  from  thence  to  Shippen's,  Hubley's,  and 
Dickinson's  country  seat  over  the  Delaware.  Those  posts 
would  be  eligible  upon  the  enemy's  getting  possession  of 
tlie  city. 

"  Enclosed  is  a  return  of  the  situation  of  the  quarter- 
master-general's department,  the  wagons,  spare  carriages, 
<fec.,  not  mentioned  in  the  return,  are  in  great  forward- 
ness, General  ^lifflin  informs. 

"  Colonel  Flowers  returned  yesterday  from  Carlisle, 
the  place  for  the  laboratory.     He  has  contracted  for  the 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  351 

ground,  provided  materials,  and  ordered  the  necessary 
buildings  to  be  erected  as  soon  as  possible.  There  is  cast 
at  this  place  one  twelve-pound,  two  sixes,  and  two  five- 
inch  howitzers  that  are  good.  They  will  continue  to  cast 
about  two  a  week.  Colonel  Flowers  is  making  out  a 
return  of  the  state  of  his  department ;  if  he  completes  it 
before  this  letter  goes,  I  shall  enclose  it. 

"  1  am  told  by  the  Congress,  the  pay  and  establishment 
of  the  light-horse  is  completed  and  forwarded. 

"  I  have  impressed  upon  the  Congress,  in  the  strongest 
manner  I  was  capable,  the  necessity  of  keeping  the  pay- 
master fully  supplied  with  cash.  The  House  requested 
estimates.  I  told  them  I  could  not  furnish  any  ;  but  the 
demand  would  be  great,  at  the  opening  the  campaign, 
to  pay  off  the  old  arrearages  and  satisfy  the  new  de- 
mands. 

"  There  is  so  much  deliberation  and  waste  of  time  in 
the  execution  of  business  before  this  assembly,  that  my 
patience  is  almost  exhausted.  I  cannot  get  the  resolve 
respecting  the  cartel  passed  so  soon  as  I  want  it.  I  know 
your  delicate  situation,  and  the  anxiety  you  must  be 
under. 

"  I  think  it  is  uncertain  yet  whether  General  Gates 
will  serve  as  adjutant-general.  I  have  directed  General 
Fermoy  to  repair  to  camp.  What  measures  the  Congress 
will  take  respecting  the  rank  of  general  officers  appointed 
by  the  States  I  cannot  pretend  to  say.  The  subject  has 
been  fully  explained  to  them,  and  the  injury  that  may 
arise  from  things  continuing  in  their  present  situation. 

"  Colonel  Cox  is  gone  out  of  town.  Whether  he  will 
accept  the  appointment  of  commissary  of  prisoners  or  not 
I  cannot  tell.     I  shall  write  him  upon  the  subject. 

"  A  brig  arrived  this  day  from  Nantes.  Her  cargo  con- 
sists of  two  hundred  and  seventy-two  chests  of  arms, 
containing  six  thousand  eight  hundred  muskets,  —  sixty 


352  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

chests  of  which,  not  being  proved,  the  captain  says  he 
cannot  so  fully  engage  for  their  goodness,  but  the  re- 
maining two  hundred  and  twelve  chests  are  very  fine 
proved  arms ;  also,  fifteen  hundred  excellent  double- 
bridled  gun-locks.  When  this  vessel  left  France  there 
were  great  preparations  in  that  kingdom  and  Spain  for 
war,  which  was  expected  to  be  general  throughout 
Europe. 

"  Another  vessel  has  just  passed  up  the  river  from 
Hispaniola,  deep  ladened,  her  cargo  unknown. 

"  Major  Conner,  by  land  from  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  advises  of  a  ship  belonging  to  that  State  arriv- 
ing there  eight  days  before  he  left  that  place  with  a 
number  of  arms,  ammunition,  &c.,  and  twelve  brass 
cannon  from  France. 

"  Nothing  could  have  happened  more  seasonable  than 
these  arms,  as  the  Congress  have  none  in  store.  Colonel 
Flowers  has  about  four  thousand  out  of  repair,  and  about 
four  hundred  that  are  fit  for  use.  The  Secret  Committee 
have  given  me  to  understand  that  a  large  quantity  of 
arms,  ammunition,  and  brass  cannon  are  daily  expected. 

"  I  shall  stay  to-day  and  to-morrow  in  town,  and  then 
set  off  for  camp,  unless  I  am  detained  by  the  Congress." 

This  was  the  business  side  of  the  mission  to  Phil- 
adelphia. But  there  was  also  another  side  to  this 
picture  ;  for  Philadelphia  had  recovered  quickly 
from  the  fright  of  December,  and  was  already  gay 
and  brilliant  again.  It  was  not  merely  staid  Con- 
gressmen with  grave  faces  that  were  seen  in  its 
straight  and  airy  streets,  but  officers  with  epau- 
lets and  feathers,  and  buff  facings  and  rattling 
swords,  that  kept  time  to  their  steps,  and  the  step 
itself  tliat  vibratinir,  elastic  tread  which  drum  and 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  353 

fife  teach,  and,  once  taught,  is  never  forgotten. 
There  were  foreign  officers  too,  mercurial  French- 
men, impassive  Germans,  and  here  and  there  a  Pole, 
sprinlding  every  tavern  and  boarding-house  table, 
standing  in  knots  at  the  corners  or  on  the  side- 
walks, but  oftenest  found  and  thickest  at  the  door 
of  Independence  Hall,  watching  to  slip  a  memorial 
into  the  hand  of  some  member  of  Congress,  or  to 
remind  him  of  some  hasty  word  which  had  been 
twisted  into  a  promise.  And  in  private  houses 
there  were  sumptuous  dinners  served  up  in  choice 
china,  and  now  and  then  on  plate,  with  rich  wines 
in  rare  varieties,  —  such  dinners  as  head-quarters 
never  saw,  though  members  who  had  a  sure,  social 
footing  saw  and  ate  them  daily.  And  both  at  the 
afternoon  board  and  in  the  evening  dance  there 
were  bright  young  faces ;  and,  writes  Greene  to  his 
wife,  they  "  appeared  angelic."  "  Attractive  scene 
of  debauch  and  amusement,"  is  Richard  Henry 
Lee's  description  of  the  Philadelphia  of  that  winter. 
"  Philadelphia,  that  mass  of  cowardice  and  Toryism," 
writes  John  Adams.  A  place  of  "crucifying  ex- 
penses," wrote  James  Lovell,  putting  his  finishing 
touch  to  the  picture.  To  foreboding  minds  all 
this  must  have  seemed  a  kind  of  madness,  the  fren- 
zied revel  of  sailors  on  a  sinking  ship,  and  in  this 
Philadelphia  of  March  there  were  some,  perhaps, 
whose  hearts  grew  heavy  with  sad  anticipations 
when  they  called  to  mind  the  Philadelphia  of  De- 
cember, as  it  appeared  to  Wilkinson  and  Gates. 
"  It  was   dark,"  writes  Wilkinson,  "  when  we  en- 

23 


354  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

tered  Front  Street,  and  it  appeared  as  if  we  had 
penetrated  a  wilderness  of  houses  ;  such  was  the 
silence  and  stillness  which  prevailed,  that  the  drop- 
ping of  a  stone  would  have  been  heard  several 
squares,  and  the  hoofs  of  our  horses  resounded 
in  all  directions."^ 

Greene  loved  society,  and  knew  how  to  play  the 
fool  in  the  right  place,  as  we  shall  see  by  and  by, 
and  see  Washington  join  heartily  in  the  frolic  ;  but 
this  w^as  neither  the  time  nor  the  place,  and  doing 
as  quickly  as  Congress  would  let  him  what  he 
came  to  do,  he  gladly  turned  his  face  again  towards 
the  bleak  hills  of  Morristown,  revolving  in  his  mind 
the  checkered  scenes  he  was  leaving  behind  him, 
and,  gathering  strength  as  he  crossed  the  Delaware 
to  Trenton,  and  rode  over  the  battle-field  of  Prince- 
ton, and  holding  his  way  along  the  road  where  a 
few  weeks  before  he  had  tracked  the  march  of  his 
weary  soldiers  by  blood-prints  on  the  snow,  he  came 
out  once  more  upon  that  mountain  screen,  behind 
which  his  beloved  commander  was  thoughtfully 
preparing  himself  for  another  trial  of  strength  and 
skill  with  his  powerful  adversary. 

1  Richard  II.  Lee  to  Washington,  ton.  Correspondence  of  Revolution, 

Sparks's  Correspondence  of  the  Rev-  ut  sup.,  412.     Wilkinson's  Memoirs, 

olution,  Vol.  I.  p.  367.    J.  Adams's  Vol.  L  p.  127. 
Lettcr.=.    James  Lovell  to  Washing- 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

Greene's  return  to  Camp.  —  Birth  of  his  Second  Daughter.  —  Gover- 
nor Livingston's  Family.  —  Letter  to  Mrs.  Greene.  —  Anxiety  about 
Rhode  Island.  —  Correspondence  with  Arnold.  —  Spring.  —  Army 
not  yet  raised. — Letter  to  J.  Adams.  —  Doubts  and  Conjectures 
about  the  Enemy's  Plans.  —  Attempt  to  surprise  General  Lincoln. 
— American  Retaliation.  —  Plans,  Positions,  Reports,  and  Conjec- 
tures. —  Greene  sent  with  Knox  to  examine  the  Passes  of  the  Hud- 
son. —  Reports  and  Letters  to  Washington.  —  Return  to  Morris- 
town. —  Letters  to  his  Wife. 

GREENE'S  first  feeling  on  returning  to  camp 
was  a  longing  for  home.  "  The  great  distance 
there  is  between  us,"  he  writes  to  his  wife  on  the 
30th,  "  and  the  few  opportunities  I  have  to  hear 
from  you,  leaves  me  in  a  very  disagreeable  sus- 
pense. Eight  long  months  have  passed  amidst 
fatigue  and  toil"  (of  the  danger  he  does  not 
speak)  "  since  I  have  tasted  the  flowers  of  domes- 
tic felicity."  And  here  "  General  Knox  and  a  few 
others  "  come  in  and  stop  his  pen.  When  they  are 
gone,  he  adds,  "  I  have  been  endeavoring  to  collect 
a  few  tender  sentiments,  and  to  call  home  my  wan- 
dering thoughts ;  but "  they  "  have  put  them  all  to 
the  rout,  and  in  vain  do  I  endeavor  to  rally  my 
ideas." 

A  few  days  afterwards  he  received  the  tidings  of 
the  birth  of  his  second  child,  —  a  daughter. 


356  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

"  I  read  the  letter,"  he  writes  from  Baskingridge,  "  with 
a  trembling  hand.  Some  superstitious  fears  had  been 
hovering  round  me  that  something  would  happen  to  you. 
What  gave  rise  to  this  troublesome  train  of  visitants  I 
cannot  tell,  unless  it  was  the  extreme  anxiety  I  felt  for 
you  in  your  critical  situation.  Heaven  be  praised  for  this 
second  pledge  of  conjugal  affection  !  When  I  shall  see  the 
poor  little  [one]  God  only  knows.  I  am  exceedingly 
happy  at  your  being  at  Potowomut,  and  rejoice  to  find 
the  brothers  so  kind  and  attentive  to  your  wants.  How 
shall  you  or  I  repay  their  kindness  ?  We  must  leave  that 
to  some  after  day.  Nothing  delights  me  more  than  to 
hear  you  all  live  in  good-fellowship. 

"  I  am  now  at  Lord  Stirling's  seat,  in  a  most  agreeable 
family  of  Governor  Livingston's.  There  are  three  young 
ladies  of  distinguished  merit,  sensible,  polite,  and  easy. 
Their  manners  are  soft  and  engaging  ;  they  wish  much  to 
see  you  here,  and  I  wish  it  too  ;  but  I  expect  long  before 
that  happy  moment  to  be  upon  the  march  towards  Pliila- 
delphia.  The  enemy,  I  expect,  will  advance  that  way  be- 
fore ten  days  or  a  fortnight  at  most.  If  you  have  an 
inclination  to  come  to  the  westward,  bring  somebody  with 
you  tliat  can  take  care  of  you,  as  it  is  uncertain  whether 
I  shall  have  an  opportunity  to  see  you  at  all.  I  never 
wished  more  ardently  to  see  you  in  my  life  than  now ; 
the  hours  grow  tedious  and  the  heart  impatient.  Fortune 
is  rather  unfriendly  to  afford  but  a  few  months'  enjoyment 
for  several  years'  marriage.  However,  I  hope  fortune  has 
something  better  in  store.  If  not,  we  must  learn  content- 
ment. Pray  is  Xancy  Vernon  and  the  Doctor  become 
one  ?  1  saw  Doctor  Young  when  I  was  in  Philadeljlhia  ; 
his  wife  and  Suse  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Washington  and 
Mrs.  Bland  from  Virginia,  are  at  camp,  happy  witii  their 
better-halves.  Mrs.  Washington  is  extremely  fond  of  the 
General,  and  he   of  her  ;  they   are  very   happy  in  each 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  357 

Other.  General  Knox  informs  me  that  he  and  his  Lucy 
had  agreed  to  visit  you  at  Coventry.  The  morning  was 
fixed  to  set  out,  but  the  orders  of  the  General  pointed  out 
a  different  route." 

Another  cause  of  anxiety  was,  at  this  moment, 
recalling  his  thoughts  to  Rhode  Island.  The  pres- 
ence of  the  enemy  on  the  island  had  excited  at 
first  a  general  alarm,  which  was  presently  followed 
by  a  resolution  to  attack  them.  Various  plans 
were  proposed,  and  many  letters  passed  between 
Washington  and  the  officers  in  immediate  command 
in  the  State,  —  Spencer  and  Arnold.  Greene,  too, 
had  drawn  up  a  plan,  which  he  forwarded  to  Arnold; 
but  all  were  agreed  that,  unless  a  good  and  trust- 
worthy force  could  be  raised,  any  attempt,  no  mat- 
ter on  what  plan,  would  be  highly  imprudent.^ 
No  such  force  could  be  raised;  and  yet  Arnold 
writes  to  Greene  from  Providence  on  the  10th  of 
March :  — 

"  The  wise  Assembly  of  this  State  have  passed  a  vote, 
declaring  it  disgraceful  to  the  States  of  New  England,  and 
to  this  State  in  particular,  and  of  course  to  the  general 
officers  of  the  army,  that  the  enemy  on  Rhode  Island  have 
remained  so  long  unmolested,  and  have  requested  and  di. 
rected  General  Spencer  to  attack  them  immediately,  as  he 
would  avoid  the  anathemas  of  the  Great  and  General  As- 
sembly of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  ;  which,  being  fearful 
of  incurring,  he  has,  in  conjunction  with  General  Cooke, 
given  orders  for  collecting  the  militia,  &c.  for  tlie  above 

1  See  Sparks's  Correspondence  of     Sparks's  Washington,   Vol.  IV.  pp. 
the  Revolution,  Vol.  L  pp.  334,  353.     312,  344. 


358  LIFE   OF    NATTIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

purpose.     Included  is  a  copy  of  votes  of  the  Assembly. 
I  send  it  to  you  as  a  curiosity."  ^ 

"  I  am  favored  with  yours  of  the  10th,"  writes  Greene 
from  ]\Iorristown,  March  30th,  in  reply,  "  covering  several 
resolutions  of  the  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island. 
I  fear  those  were  hasty  measures, —  the  product  of  dis- 
appointment and  vexation,  taken  without  adverting  to 
consequences.  I  am  very  sure  their  hearts  are  right,  and 
their  zeal  warm,  but  I  fear  they  do  not  give  themselves 
time  to  deliberate  properly.  I  am  sure  the  House  of  As- 
sembly never  meant  the  resolutions  as  a  reflection  upon 
the  general  officers  ;  neither  did  they  think  their  neighbor- 
ing States  might  take  umbrage  at  the  severity  of  the  re- 
proach. The  State  of  Rhode  Island  may  think  it  a  great 
misfortune  that  the  troops  on  Rhode  Island  have  not  been 
attacked ;  but  I  am  far  from  thinking  so,  and  ever  shall 
be,  unless  I  can  be  first  convinced  of  the  certainty  of  the 
success  of  the  attack.  People  that  are  unacquainted  with 
military  matters  and  the  force  of  discipline  think  that 
number  are  sufficient  to  secure  success ;  four  thousand 
troops,  well  posted,  with  a  good  train  of  artillery,  may  bid 
defiance  to  three  times  their  numbers,  especially  when 
there  is  but  little  order  and  method  and  discipline  among 
the  assailants,  I  wish  General  Spencer  may  not  hazard  an 
attack  with  such  troops  as  you  describe  ;  it  is  the  opinion 
of  the  best  military  judges  we  have  in  the  army,  that  the 
chance  of  an  attack  is  against  us.  It  signifies  nothing  for 
a  few  spirited  officers  to  rusli  upon  danger,  when  they  have 
little  or  no  hope  of  being  well  supported.  Spirit  is  essen- 
tial in  an  officer,  but  prudence  is  more  so.  If  you  make 
the  attack,  God  grant  you  success  !  but  I  hope  General 
Spencer  will  have  more  prudence  than  to  run  any  unneces- 
sary risk  to  gratify  popular  clamor. 

1  For  votes  of  Asscml)Iy,  see  Bart-  ters.  Greene's  MSS.  Letters  to  Gen- 
lett's  Rhode  Lslaiid  Records,  Vol.  eral  Greene,  Skipwiih  Collection,  p. 
VIII.  pp.   154,  155.     Arnold's  Let-     14, 


I 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  359 

"  I  am  exceeding  sorry  to  hear  that  the  New  England 
States  are  so  tardy  in  furnishing  their  proportion  of  men ; 
the  Northern  States  are  little  better.  This  army  wants  a 
large  re-enforcement  to  open  the  campaign  to  advantage  ; 
fortune  favors  us  with  a  very  seasonable  supply  of  arms. 
I  hear  there  is  twelve  thousand  stand  arrived  to  the  east- 
ward at  Portsmouth,  and  one  thousand  barrels  of  powder  ; 
there  is  also  six  thousand  eight  hundred  stand  of  arms 
arrived  at  Philadelphia,  and  six  hundred  and  sixty  barrels 
of  powder  arrived  in  Maryland. 

"  Several  valuable  prizes  have  been  brought  into  Balti- 
more within  a  few  days  past,  —  two  of  the  enemy's  store- 
ships,  loaded  with  provisions,  bound  for  New  York. 
General  Gates  goes  again  to  Ticonderoga.  It  is  uncer- 
tain who  commands  the  north  side  of  Hudson's  River, 
but  I  think  it  probable  General  Putnam  will." 

It  is  almost  startling  to  find  Greene  and  Arnold 
writing  each  other  so  freely,  and  with  such  ex- 
pressions of  mutual  respect.  But  at  this  very  time, 
Washington,  too,  was  writing  of  the  future  traitor : 
"  Surely,  a  more  active,  a  more  spirited  and  sensi- 
ble officer  fills  no  department  in  your  army."  ^ 
And  such,  indeed,  was  the  general  feeling  of  the 
army,  fully  shared  by  Greene,  who,  as  they  were 
very  seldom  stationed  together,  had  but  little  per- 
sonal intercourse  with  him,  yet  continued  to  be- 
lieve in  him,  and  write  to  him  till  almost  the  very 
day  of  his  fall. 

Spring  is  come.  Washington  has  worked  hard 
all  through  the  winter,  with  voice  and  pen. 
Greene  has  worked  hard,  too,  sharing  all  his  cares 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV.  p.  351. 


360  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

and  counsels.  A  new  campaign  is  at  hand,  but  the 
work  of  preparation  is  not  yet  done ;  and  while 
they  are  watching  the  enemy,  holding  themselves 
in  readiness  to  seize  an  advantage  or  repulse  an 
attack,  they  must  still  wait  upon  the  steps  of  a 
dilatory  Congress  and  State  governments,  too  much 
absorbed  with  the  care  of  their  individual  safety 
to  provide  seasonably  for  the  safety  of  the  whole. 

"  I  am  more  and  more  alarmed  every  day  of  my  life," 
Greene  writes  to  John  Adams,  on  the  5th  of  April,  "  at 
the  local  preparations  making  in  the  different  States  for 
their  own  defence,  in  such  a  situation  as  we  are  in,  sur- 
rounded with  imaginary  and  real  grievances,  —  claims 
made  by  one  State,  and  refused  by  another.  Men  at  the 
head  of  affairs  full  of  caprice  and  humors,  poisoned  with 
little  prejudices,  and  conceited  of  tlieir  own  importance, 
can  easily  throw  the  whole  empire  into  a  convidsion,  un- 
less there  is  some  seasonable  check  provided  to  silence 
those  little  differences  in  tlieir  infancy.  Human  nature 
is  capable  of  those  ebullitions  of  folly,  and  prudence  dic- 
tates the  necessity  of  providing  against  them.  It  is  my 
opinion,  there  ouglit  not  to  be  any  standing  troops  but 
what  are  on  the  Continental  establishment." 

It  was  late  for  beginning  a  principal  laboratory, 
but  the  work  was  still  delayed  for  want  of  the  ne- 
cessary orders. 

"  I  have  neither  seen  nor  heard  any  resolution  of  Con- 
gress," he  writes  in  the  same  letter,  "  approving  or  disap- 
proving of  the  Laboratory  being  fixed  at  Springfield.  If 
the  Congress  approves  thereof  it  will  be  necessary  for 
them  to  say  so,  there  being  now  an  order  for  its  being 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  361 

fixed  at  Brookfield,  and  the  council  of  the  Massachusetts 
State  commissioned  to  provide  the  materials  for  the  erec- 
tion of  the  necessary  buildings  at  that  place.  Please  to 
inquire  into  the  matter,  and  write  General  Knox  upon 
the  subject ;  it  will  forward  the  business,  if  the  council 
has  the  same  powers  with  respect  to  providing  materials, 
only  at  Springfield  instead  of  Brookfteld." 

The  new  army  ought  to  have  been  in  camp, 
armed,  equipped,  and  well  advanced  in  its  drill. 
But  the  new  levies  not  only  came  in  slowly,  but 
were  in  part  composed  of  the  worst  materials  for 
a  patriot  army ;  "  convict  servants,"  whom  the  re- 
cruiting officers,  with  a  disgraceful  neglect  of  duty, 
had  purchased  of  their  masters.^ 

Meanwhile,  "What  will  the  enemy  do?"  was  the 
first  question  on  every  tongue,  the  uppermost 
thought  in  every  mind. 

"  Since  my  return  to  camp,"  writes  Greene,  in  the 
same  letter  from  which  I  have  already  quoted,  "  I  am 
more  at  a  loss  to  guess  the  enemy's  intentions  than  ever. 
They  are  fortifying  Brunswick.  Two  spies  who'left  that 
place  a  few  days  since  say  the  greater  part  of  the  troops 
are  gone  to  Staten  Island ;  drafts  have  been  made  from 
the  several  corps.  There  is  a  general  order  of  General 
Howe's  commanding  all  the  officers  that  are  absent  from 
posts  to  join  the  10th  of  this  instant.  It  is  generally  sug- 
gested some  expedition  is  on  foot.  If  't  is  up  the  North 
River,  General  Howe  is  the  greatest  blunderer  of  the  age 
to  put  us  on  our  guard  by  such  an  ill-timed  expedition  as 
they  made  the  other  day.  If  this  expedition  is  to  the 
southward,  his  delay  has  lost  him  the  happy  moment ;  a 

1  Gordon's  American  Kevolution,  Vol.  II.  p.  467. 


362  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

fortnight's  delay  longer  will  put  it  out  of  his  power  to  do 
any  great  things.  If  the  States  furnish  their  men,  and 
we  have  a  good  train  of  artillery  provided  seasonably,  and 
General  Howe  don't  shut  himself  up  in  some  inaccessible 
post,  ten  to  one  but  ruin  awaits  him  before  fall.  But  if 
every  State  is  at  liberty  to  furnish  only  a  part  of  their 
men,  and  those  at  their  pleasure,  we  shall  have  another 
crippled  campaign,  indecisive  and  perhaps  disgraceful." 

A  few  days  later  a  little  light  broke  suddenly  in 
upon  the  scene. 

"  The  enemy  made  an  attempt  to  surprise  General  Lin- 
coln this  morning,"  he  writes  to  John  Adams  from  Bound- 
brook  on  the  13th  of  April.  "  They  advanced  by  three 
divisions  ;  one  crossed  the  Raritan,  about  a  mile  above 
head-quarters.  The  second  division  came  in  front  of  the 
town  ;  the  third  to  the  left  of  the  town,  and  crossed  the 
river  called  Boundbrook.  Besides  these  three  divisions, 
there  was  a  corps  de  reserve  commanded  by  General 
Mathews.  The  patrols  and  guards  posted  by  General 
Lincoln  were  negligent,  or  else  the  Tories,  who  are  per- 
fectly acquainted  with  the  ground,  brought  the  columns 
in  between  the  patrols  and  guards  ;  which  of  the  two  was 
the  cause  of  the  surprise,  or  whether  they  both  concurred 
to  produce  it,  I  can't  tell.  The  General  had  but  just 
time  to  draw  off  the  troops  from  between  the  heads  of 
their  two  flank  columns,  which  kept  up  a  warm  fire  as 
our  people  passed  between  them.  Our  artillery,  consist- 
ing of  three  three-pounders  and  the  ammunition  belong- 
ing to  them,  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands,  and  most  of  the 
men  were  made  prisoners  belonging  to  the  artillery,  and 
two  of  the  officers.  There  was  about  twenty  artillerymen 
made  prisoners,  and  about  forty  battalion  men  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing.     General  Lincoln  had  one  aide- 


I 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  363 

de-camp  made  prisoner,  and  lost  almost  all  his  papers. 
This  is  a  great  misfortune,  as  it  will  inform  the  enemy 
of  many  disagreeable  circumstances.  The  enemy  were 
supposed  to  be  between  four  and  five  thousand  strong  at 
least.  General  Lincoln  had  about  five  hundred  conti- 
nental and  militia  troops.  The  action  began  about  five 
o'clock.  The  enemy's  loss  must  be  considerable.  Colo- 
nel Butler,  with  about  three  hundred  excellent  marksmen, 
had  a  good  fire  upon  one  of  the  heads  of  their  columns  for 
a  considerable  time.  I  am  posted  at  Baskingridge,  about 
twelve  miles  from  this  place.  The  enemy  had  evacuated 
the  town  before  I  got  there.  They  held  it  about  an  hour. 
....  This  opportunity  presented  to  write,  and  as  it 's  un- 
certain whether  the  General's  express  will  reach  the  city  as 
soon  as  this  gentleman,  I  thought  proper  to  write  to  you." 

When  the  circumstances  became  fully  known,  it 
was  ascertained  that  no  blame  could  attach  to 
General  Lincoln. 

It  "  was  owing  to  the  valorous  conduct  of  the  militia," 
says  Greene,  in  a  letter  of  the  20th  to  a  friend,  "  who 
were  posted  at  a  fording-place  on  the  Raritan.  They  de- 
serted their  post  without  giving  the  General  the  least 

notice I  marched  from  Baskingridge  upon  the  first 

intelligence  ;  but  the  distance  was  twelve  miles,  and  the 
enemy  had  retreated  before  I  got  down."  "  The  British 
Generals"  (Oornwallis  and  Grant),  he  writes  to  his  wife, 
"  breakfasted,  and  I  dined,  at  the  same  house  the  same 
day.     This  is  the  state  of  war." 

The  Americans  were  not  disposed  to  put  up  with 
the  insult. 

"•  The  next  night,"  he  continues,  "  we  surprised  one  of 
their  pickets,  killed  one  officer  and  seven  privates,  and 


364  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

took  sixteen  prisoners."  Tliey  would  gladly  have  done 
more.  "  I  returned  to  this  place  last  night,"  he  writes  to 
Lincoln  from  Morristown  on  the  19th.  "  Upon  examijiing 
tlie  condition  of  our  posts  and  those  of  the  enemy,  from 
the  intelligence  of  the  enemy's  strength  and  situation, 
and  the  weak  state  our  advance  posts  were  in,  I  find  it 
impossible  to  make  an  attack  upon  the  enemy  with  any 
probability  of  success.  General  Maxwell  and  General 
Stevens  are  of  the  same  opinion.  The  latter  wrote  to 
General  Washington  this  morning,  that  he  had  intelli- 
gence of  the  enemy's  making  some  new  disposition. 
'  The  regiment  of  Guards  are  ordered  up  from  the  land- 
ing to  Bonumtown,  when  the  enemy  will  have  their 
principal  force  assembled  thereabouts,  viz.  the  thirty- 
third,  second  battalion  of  the  seventy-first  light  infantry 
from  Rhode  Island,  and  the  forty-second,  and  I  believe 
the  grenadiers,  who  came  from  Rhode  Island.'  This  is 
an  extract  from  General  Stevens's  letter,  who  is  of  opin- 
ion that  there  will  not  be  left  above  one  thousand  six 
hundred  men  at  Brunswick  and  the  landing.  How  well 
this  opinion  is  founded  I  leave  you  to  judge.  General 
Stevens's  opinion  is,  the  enemy  have  some  stroke  in  con- 
templation. His  Excellency  wishes  you  to  keep  a  good 
lookout.  He  thinks  the  cannon  with  you  are  in  a  dan- 
gerous situation,  and  will  in  a  great  degree  be  useless,  if 
the  enemy  make  an  attempt  to  surprise  you.  He  there- 
fore wishes  you  to  send  them  to  Morristown  immediately, 
and  only  consider  Boundbrook  as  an  advanced  picket. 
The  General  thinks  you  had  better  order  all  the  stores 
back  between  the  first  and  second  mountain,  and  draw 
your  daily  supplies  from  thence." 

How  little  do  we  realize  the  constant  self-control 
which  their  situation  imposed  upon  these  bold  and 
enterprising  men  ! 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATH.\NAEL    GREEXE.  365 

"  Pray,  how  goes  on  recruiting  with  you  ?  "  Greene 
writes  to  a  friend  the  next  day.  "  I  am  sure  the  conti- 
nent must  come  to  drafting  at  last  ;  the  sooner  the 
better.  Our  strength  now  is  trifling.  It  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  the  cause  of  freedom  rests  upon  the  shoulders 
of  so  few.  General  Howe  is  preparing  with  all  imagina- 
ble diligence  to  take  the  field.  His  bridge  across  the 
Delaware,  so  much  talked  of,  is  arrived  at  Brunswick,  as 
I  am  informed  by  a  spy  who  left  that  place  last  night.  I 
would  thank  the  British  myrmidons  to  protract  the  open- 
ing of  the  campaign  for  about  three  weeks  ;  but  that  is 
not  to  be  expected.  Our  army  will  appear  like  Gideon 
and  his  pitchers.  God  grant  us  the  same  success  !  The 
cause  is  equally  righteous,  and  claims  his  heavenly  pro- 
tection." 

There  is  one  other  source  of  hope  tO  which  he 
still  continues  to  look,  though  almost  a  year  was 
yet  to  pass  before  he  saw  it  realized.  "  Yery  late 
news  from  Europe  mentions  that  a  French  and 
Spanish  war  is  inevitable,  and  that  but  few"  recruits 
can  be  got  for  the  reinforcement  of  the  British 
army  in  America." 

Thus  all  through  April  the  anxiety  and  watch- 
fulness and  preparation  continue. 

"  I  am  directed  by  his  Excellency  General  Washing- 
ton," he  writes  to  General  Lincoln  from  Baskingridge,  on 
the  27th,  "  to  acquaint  you  the  tents  are  arrived  from 
Philadelphia,  and  that  he  purposes  encamping  the  troops 
in  a  few  days.  His  Excellency  desires  you  to  give  the 
necessary  orders  for  each  regiment,  to  send  the  quarter- 
master or  some  other  proper  officer  to  draw  the  necessary 
tents  for  the  respective  regiments ;  one  tent  for  five  men. 
His  Excellency  also  desires  you  to  give  it  out  in  orders, 


366  LIFE   OF    NATIUNAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

that  no  parties  go  out  of  the  lines  except  such  as  are  au- 
thorized by  the  dail}'  orders,  unless  the  officer  has  per- 
mission. General  Maxwell  had  a  party  of  about  twenty 
surprised  a  few  nights  past,  that  went  out  of  their  own 
accord  without  the  necessary  directions.  I  purpose  to 
call  and  see  you  this  afternoon  or  to-morrow.  Enclosed 
you  have  a  piece  of  intelligence  from  Brunswick  yester- 
day. I  had  intelligence  from  New  York  nigiit  before  last. 
The  intelligence  gives  an  account  of  the  enemy's  being  in 
great  preparation,  cutting  down  a  large  ship  to  make  a 
floating  battery.  Eleven  sail  of  transports  with  troops 
have  gone  up  the  North  River  ;  as  many  with  troops  are 
gone  down  the  Eastern  Sound,  said  to  be  bound  for  New 
Haven.  These  movements  are  to  divert  our  attention 
from  their  principal  object,  and  to  keep  the  Eastern  troops 
from  coming  on.  The  bridge  at  New  York  is  complete, 
and  part  of  it  is  said  to  be  at  Brunswick." 

To  increase  the  perplexity  of  the  American  com- 
manders, a  report  came  from  Europe  that  Boston 
was  to  be  attacked. 

"  I  observe  by  Dr.  Lee's  letter  to  his  brother,"  ^  Greene 
writes  to  John  Adams  on  the  2d  of  May,  "  that  Burgoyne 
is  to  attack  Boston.  The  troops  remaining  so  long  at 
Newport  seems  to  favor  this  opinion,  —  time  only  can 
unfold  their  future  intentions.  I  observe,  by  some  late 
resolves  of  Congress,  they  are  in  fear  for  Ticonderoga. 
If  Carleton  comes  over  the  lakes  with  a  view  of  penetrat- 
ing into  the  country,  General  Howe  must  be  bound  up 
the  North  River,  notwithstanding  all  his  threats  and 
preparations  for  Philadelphia." 

With  his  fleet  so  near  at  hand,  it  was  not  diffi- 
cult for  Sir  William  Howe  to  embarrass  and  per- 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV.  p.  395. 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  367 

plex  his  adversaries.  There  were  so  many  points 
to  attack,  and  each  point  offered  so  many  induce- 
ments, that  it  seemed  almost  impossible  to  divine 
in  what  direction  he  would  turn.  His  first  meas- 
ures served  only  to  increase  the  perplexity.  To- 
wards the  end  of  March  he  sent  a  detachment  up 
the  Hudson,  and  destroyed  the  stores  at  Peekskill. 
Towards  the  end  of  April  he  sent  another  detach- 
ment into  Connecticut,  and  destroyed  the  stores  at 
Danbury.  "  For  once,  give  them  credit  for  a  bold 
manoeuvre,"  Greene  writes  to  John  Adams.  "I 
think  they  have  paid  dear  for  the  attempt.  It  is 
supposed  their  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prison- 
ers cannot  be  less  than  six  hundred." 

But  whatever  Howe's  plans  might  be,  the  passes 
of  the  Hudson  were  the  key  to  direct  commun- 
ication between  the  Eastern  and  Western  States. 
Firmly  held,  the  British  forces  north  of  the  High- 
lands would  still  be  deprived  of  the  means  of  com- 
municating with  the  army  at  New  York.  Once  lost, 
the  line  of  the  Hudson  was  lost,  and  the  Eastern 
States  would  be  severed  from  the  Middle  States. 
Early  in  the  preceding  campaign  Washington  had 
given  as  much  of  his  attention  to  these  passes  as 
his  time  and  means  permitted.  He  was  even  more 
anxious  about  them  now,  and,  unable  to  go  and 
examine  them  himself,  he  sent  Greene  to  examine 
them  for  him,  and  "  give  such  orders  for  further 
defence  as  "  might  "  appear  to  "  him  "  necessary  for 
the  greater  security  of  the  passes  by  land  and 
water  through  the  Highlands,"  disposing,  "more- 


3G8  LIFE    OF   NATH.\NAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

over,  of  the  troops  in  such  a  nicanner  as  "  he  might 
"judge  most  Hkely  to  answer  the  end  in  view."  ^ 

Greene  had  never  been  through  the  Highlands 
before,  and,  could  he  have  thrown  aside  his  grave 
responsibilities  for  a  while,  he  could  hardly  have 
chosen  a  better  time  for  a  first  view  of  them. 
Never  till  then  had  his  eyes  rested  on  such  huge 
masses,  or  wandered  over  such  an  expanse  of  fo- 
liage, fresh  with  the  new  life  of  early  spring,  or 
seen  the  Hudson  itself —  although  he  had  passed 
weeks  on  its  banks  —  flow  with  such  majestic  tran- 
quillity, with  every  passing  cloud,  and  every  im- 
pending cliff,  and  the  blended  leaves  of  the  forest, 
reflected  in  its  burnished  mirror,  and  looking  up, 
as  it  were,  from  the  mysterious  depth  of  waters 
into  the  mysterious  depth  of  overarching  sky. 
But  he  had  no  time  to  think  of  the  grandeur  or 
beaut}^  of  the  scene.  It  was  for  their  strength 
that  he  looked  with  such  searching  eyes  upon  pass 
and  defile ;  it  was  to  choose  the  most  inaccessible 
points  that  he  climbed  the  highest  mountains,  and 
studied  the  projections  and  indentations  of  the  tor- 
tuous river.  •  The  genial  Knox  was  with  him  ;  and, 
as  they  rode  along,  they  talked  of  cannon  and  mor- 
tar ;  measured  with  their  eyes  the  range  from  each 
cliff,  and  from  bank  to  bank ;  and  sometimes,  too, 
spoke  of  their  great  cause,  their  hopes  and  their 
fears  for  the  opening  campaign,  their  faith  in  Wash- 
ington, and  more  than  once  of  what  they  dreaded 

'Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV.  p.  414.     Instructions  to  General  Greene, 
Morristown,  May  12,  1777. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  369 

from  the  delays  and  stumblings  of  Congress.  At 
Peekskill  they  found  McDougall,Wayne,and  George 
Clinton ;  and  after  a  careful  comparison  of  observa- 
tions, Greene  drew  up  a  report  which  they  all  signed 
together. 

"  We  have  examined  the  obstructions  in  the  North 
River,  and  beg  leave  to  observe  that  the  object  is  too  im- 
portant to  be  trusted  to  its  present  security.  If  those 
obstructions  in  the  river  can  be  rendered  effectual,  and 
the  passes  into  the  Highlands  be  properly  guarded,  which 
can  be  done  with  about  four  or  five  thousand  troops,  the 
rest  of  the  army  will  be  at  liberty  to  operate  elsewhere. 

"  To  render  the  obstruction  at  Fort  Montgomery  com- 
plete, it  will  be  necessary  to  have  a  boom  across  the  river, 
and  one  or  two  cables  in  front  of  the  chain,  to  break  the 
force  of  the  shipping  before  they  come  up  to  it.  The  two 
Continental  ships  should  be  immediately  manned  and 
fixed,  and  the  two  row-galleys  be  stationed  just  above  the 
obstruction,  which  will  form  a  front  fire  equal  to  what  the 
enemy  can  bring  against  them.  The  fire  from  the  ships 
and  galleys  in  front,  and  the  batteries  upon  the  flank,  will 
render  it  impossible  for  the  shipping  to  operate  there  if 
the  obstructions  in  the  river  bring  them  up,  which,  with 
the  additional  strength  proposed,  we  have  great  reason  to 
expect. 

"  The  communication  between  the  Eastern  and  Western 
States  is  essential  to  the  continent ;  and  the  advantages 
we  shall  have  over  the  enemy  by  the  communication,  and 
the  great  expense  that  will  be  saved  in  transportation  of 
stores,  by  having  the  command  of  the  river,  warrant  every 
expense  to  secure  an  object  of  so  great  magnitude.  We 
are  very  confident,  if  the  obstructions  in  the  river  can  be 
rendered  effectual,  the  enemy  will  not  attempt  to  operate 

24 


370  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

by  land,  the  passes  through  the  Highlands  are  so  exceed- 
ing difficult." 

By  the  same  courier  Greene  gives  Washington 
an  account  of  his  mission  thus  far :  — 

"  Agreeable  to  your  Excellency's  instructions,  I  have 
given  the  necessary  orders  to  carry  the  further  obstruc- 
tions on  the  river  into  execution.  I  am  going  this  day  up 
to  New  Windsor  to  view  the  obstructions  there,  and  the 
passes  through  the  Highlands  to  the  Clove,  after  which  I 
shall  be  able  to  give  your  Excellency  a  very  good  history 
of  the  state  of  things  here,  which  I  shall  do  at  my  return. 
It  will  be  impossible  to  be  at  home  under  two  days." 

New  Windsor  was  an  important  village  then,  very 
unlike  the  single  street  of  dilapidated  houses  that 
stands  crumbling  now  on  the  w^estern  bank  of  the 
Hudson;  and  almost  within  the  shadow  of  the 
Storm  King.^  Bear  with  me,  reader,  if,  as  I  write 
this  name,  I  pause  to  recall  him  who  gave  it, — him 
whose  quick  poetic  eye  reading  at  a  glance  what 
thousands  had  looked  upon  the  deep  serenity  of 
the  majestic  mountain  and  never  seen,  —  its  pro- 
phetic communings  with  sun  and  cloud,  its  unfailing 
promise  of  a  perfect  day  and  its  sure  foreshadow- 
ings  of  storm,  and,  reading  these,  gave  it  the  lordly 
name  which  must  cling  to  it  forever.  Bear  with 
me  if,  mingling  my  own  personal  recollections  with 
these  recollections  of  a  past  which  belongs  to  the 
world's  history,  I  recall  the  Idlewild  which  sleeps 
under  the  Storm  King's  shadow,  and  to  which  genius 

1  A  mountain  at  the  northern  opening  of  the  Highlands,  called  Butter 
Hill  on  the  map. 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  371 

and  geniality  have  given  a  charm  that  can  never 
fade  from  my  memory.  It  is  only  they  who  have 
known  thee  there,  dear  Willis,  who  have  known  in 
full  the  depth  of  thy  mind  or  the  tenderness  of  thy 
heart. 

At  the  farthest  end  of  the  village,  on  a  pleasant 
bank  that,  shaded  with  fruit-trees,  slopes  swiftly 
down  to  the  river's  edge,  stood,  a  few  years  back, 
a  modest  little  cottage,  known  to  all  the  country 
round  as  the  head-quarters  of  Washington.  But 
it  is  gone  now,  torn  down  though  not  replaced. 
Here,  as  in  the  best  house,  Greene  must  have  passed 
his  first  night  in  the  hamlet  where,  before  the  war 
was  over,  he  was  to  pass  so  many  ;  and  here  on  the 
18th  he  wrote  to  Colonel  Hughes  of  the  Quarter- 
master's department :  — 

"  His  Excellency  General  Washington  sent  me  and 
General  Knox  to  this  division  of  the  army  to  examine  the 
forts,  fortifications,  and  obstructions  across  the  river  ;  also 
the  state  of  the  provision  at  each  post,  and  the  condition 
of  the  Quartermaster-General's  department  in  this  divis- 
ion of  the  army. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  find  a  general  complaint  at  all  the  posts 
of  want  of  forage.  You  must  be  sensible  by  this,  that  a 
considerable  part  of  the  Continental  forces  are  drawn  to- 
gether at  Peekskill  and  its  environs.  You  also  must  be 
sensible  that  no  operation  can  take  place,  if  the  motions 
of  the  enemy  render  it  ever  so  necessary,  without  the 
article  of  forage. 

"  The  season  is  fast  approaching  when  we  may  expect 
the  enemy  will  be  in  motion,  and  to  be  unprepared  to 
counteract  them  for  want  of  forage  will  be  a  great  misfor- 
tune.    I  am  told  by  some  of  your  deputies,  that  the  evil 


372  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

originates  through  the  neglect  of  the  agents  of  Mr.  Duer  ; 
if  that  is  the  case,  you  must  not  trust  to  them  for  a  supply 
any  longer.  Receive  all  that  they  send  in,  but  immedi- 
ately take  such  measures  to  establish  proper  magazines  as 
will  afford  a  sufficient  supply  to  all  parts  of  the  army.  If 
the  inhabitants  will  not  supply  it  voluntarily,  you  must 
apply  to  the  commanding  officer  at  Peekskill  for  a  proper 
guard  to  take  it,  paying  or  giving  certificates  for  every- 
thing so  taken. 

"  Wagons  and  horses  to  transport  the  regimental  bag- 
gage, artillery  horses,  and  covered  wagons  for  military 
stores,  should  be  provided  as  soon  as  possible.  Your  ut- 
most exertions  will  be  necessary  to  provide  these  things 
seasonably.  Let  the  provisions  be  got  over  the  North 
River  agreeably  to  the  resolve  of  Congress  and  order  of 
General  Washington,  and  lodged  at  such  places  as  General 
George  Clinton  shall  direct. 

"  I  must  entreat  you  to  use  all  possible  diligence  to  get 
everything  in  your  department  in  the  greatest  forward- 
ness. Your  own  industry  is  unexceptionable,  but  you 
will  please  to  have  an  eye  to  those  that  are  under  you,  as 
few  are  faitliful  enough  to  discharge  their  duty  without 
such  attention." 

By  the  19th  he  was  again  at  Morristown. 

"  I  returned  last  night  from  Peekskill,"  he  writes  to  his 
wife  the  next  day,  "  after  a  long,  tedious,  and  hard  journey. 
To  crown  all,  I  fell  from  my  horse  upon  the  top  of  an  ex- 
ceeding high  mountain,  cut  my  lip  through,  and  otherwise 
bruised  myself  exceedingly.  Never  did  I  undergo  so 
much  fatigue  in  less  time.  Last  night  at  Mr.  Lott's, 
within  about  nine  miles  of  this  place,  I  heard  you  was 
gone  on  before  me.  0  how  my  heart  leaped  for  joy,  not- 
withstanding I  was  sure  it  was  impossible  !  yet  the  thought 
was  so  pleasing  I  could  not  help  indulging  the  sweet 
delusion." 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  373 

It  is  pleasant  to  get  the  glimpse  of  the  inner  man 
which  these  letters  give  when  his  thoughts  turn 
homeward. 

•  "  I  impatiently  waited  for  the  post  to-day,  in  hopes  of  a 
letter,  but,  to  my  great  mortification,  not  a  line,"  he 
writes  in  one.  "  I  had  tlie  pleasure  to  hear  from  you 
to-day  by  letters  from  Brother  Kitt  and  Sister  Caty,"  be- 
gins another. 

"  They  write  you  are  cleverly,  and  in  a  way  of  getting 
well  soon.  God  grant  you  may  !  The  child,  also,  they 
say  is  in  a  fair  way.  Heaven  be  praised  for  its  goodness  ! 
I  most  ardently  wish  to  see  you,  but  when  or  where 
[I  shall]  the  Lord  alone  knows.  I  don't  expect  to  visit 
Rhode  Island  till  the  close  of  this  campaign,  if  fortune 
should  preserve  me  through  it." 

Then  day  after  day  passes  without  bringing  let- 
ters from  home,  although  he  writes  "by  every  post 
and  every  private  opportunity." 

"  My  dear,  it  is  now  a  month  and  upward  since  I  re- 
ceived a  line  from  one  of  the  family.  I  think  it  exceeding 
unkind  ;  if  you  are  unwell,  and  incapable  of  writing, 
surely  some  of  the  brothers  might  do  me  that  friendly 
office.  However  disagreeable  consequences  may  be,  it  is 
some  consolation  to  know  them.  Nothing  is  more  painful 
than  a  state  of  suspense.  Pray,  my  dear,  let  me  know 
the  worst,  that  I  may  accommodate  my  mind  to  the  evil. 
The  last  accounts  I  had  from  you,  you  was  exceeding 
unwell,  taking  four  grains  of  mercury  every  day.  Think 
how  you  would  feel  if  I  had  been  in  an  engagement,  and 
left  your  mind  under  the  torture  of  suspense  for  upwards 
of  a  month.     0  how  cruel !  " 

She  had  been  very  ill. 


374  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

"  I  was  almost  thunderstruck  at  the  receipt  of  your 
letter.  How  different  its  contents  from  my  wishes  !  A 
lingering  disorder  of  five  weeks'  continuance,  and  from 
the  present  symptoms  a  confinement  of  two  months  longer. 
Heaven  preserve  you,  and  bless  you  with  patience  and 
fortitude  to  support  yourself  under  the  cruel  misfortune! 
Long  had  I  pleased  myself  with  the  [hope]  of  a  happy 
meeting.      But   fortune  seems  to  delight  to   sport  with 

human   happiness 0  that  I  had  but  wings  to  fly 

to  your  relief!  " 

And  when  better  tidings  of  her  health  came,  other 
trials  followed  close  upon  the  trial  of  protracted  ill- 
ness, threatening  to  keep  them  still  apart. 

"  My  dear  angel,"  he  writes,  "  since  I  wrote  you  this 
morning  I  received  your  letter  of  the  29th  of  April.  The 
contents  have  wrung  drops  of  blood  from  my  heart. 
Gracious  God,  how  much  I  wish  to  come  to  you  !  .  .  .  . 
But  the  General  will  not  permit  me  to  go.  I  have  had 
exceedingly  hard  duty  this  spring.  Tiie  General  keeps 
me  constantly  upon  the  go.  The  love  and  friendship  he 
has  for  me,  and  the  respect  and  kindness  he  shows  me, 
goes  a  great  way  to  alleviate  my  pains.  I  am  as  well 
loved  and  respected  in  the  army  as  I  can  wish  ;  but  not- 
witlistanding  the  honors  of  war,  and  the  love  and  respect 
of  men,  I  feel  a  blank  in  my  heart  which  nothing  but  your 
presence  can  fill  up.  There  is  not  a  day  or  night,  nay, 
not  an  hour,  but  I  wish  to  fold  you  to  my  heart." 

Of  his  own  health  he  seldom  writes.  Once  in- 
deed he  says :  — 

"  I  have  a  slight  disorder  that  has  been  hanging  about 
me  for  several  days  past.  I  hope  its  duration  will  be 
short,  as  I  have  neitiicr  time  nor  inclination  to  be  absent 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAJJAEL    GREENE.  375 

from  duty."  But  of  hers  he  is  constantly  thinking. 
"  You  must  threaten  the  doctors,  if  they  don't  cure  you 
in  a  few  days,  with  instant  destruction.  If  Doctor  Joslin 
attends  you,  let  him  know  if  he  don't  make  a  radical 
cure  in  a  fortnight,  he  shall  have  more  holes  in  his  hide 
to  fill  with  tow  wads." 

And  what  a  host  of  associations  these  letters 
home  and  from  home  awaken !  How  do  familiar 
scenes  and  familiar  faces  come  crowding  upon  the 
mind,  looking  you  right  in  the  face,  as  it  were,  and 
knocking  at  the  heart's  door  as  though  it  were  the 
door  of  your  chamber  !  "  How  is  my  son  ?  "  says 
another  letter.  "  How  are  my  friends  ?  Where  is 
Nancy  Vernon  ?  Is  the  Doctor  and  she  like  to  form 
a  connection?"  This  Nancy  Vernon  was  a  very 
lovely  Newport  beauty,  and  the  Doctor,  Doctor 
Senter,  an  eminent  physician  who  had  made  the 
march  to  Quebec  with  Arnold's  detachment,  keeping 
a  journal  of  its  incidents  which,  though  brief,  is  full 
of  valuable  information.^  "  I  think  not.  Pray  in- 
form me.  How  is  Brother  Bill  ?  Where  is  Elihu  ? 
My  best  respects  to  him  and  his  wife.  Pray,  is  there 
harmony  amongst  you  ?  Where  are  Griffin  and  his 
wife  ?  Not  a  word  have  I  heard  from  him  since  he 
left  camp.     Out  of  sight  out  of  mind." 

He  hardly  knows  how  to  decide  about  her  com- 
ing on  to  join  him. 

"  I  most  ardently  wish  to  see  you  ;  but  the  great  dis- 
tance between  us,  the  poor  accommodations  on  the  roads, 
the  uncertainty  of  the  motions  of  the  enemy,  and  the 

1  Published  by  the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania  in  1846. 


37G  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENK  [1777. 

weak  state  of  your  healtli,  are  obstacles  tliat  prevent  my 
pressing  you  to  come,  agreeable  to  my  vvishes.  Prudence 
restrains  what  my  heart  most  inclined  to.  I  cannot  ex- 
press the  recent  pleasure  I  felt  at  hearing  you  was  come, 
although  I  knew  it  must  be  false,  yet  so  strong  were  my 
wishes  that  reason  was  obliged  to  give  place  to  my  de- 
luded hopes." 

Of  course,  the  heart  conquers ;  and  in  another 
letter  of  the  same  day  he  writes  that  he  hopes  she 
is  well  enough  to  set  out  to  join  him,  and  then 
goes  on  to  tell  her  what  arrangements  he  had  made 
to  facilitate  her  preparations,  and  secure  her  com- 
fort while  he  was  with  the  army 

"  If  you  think  your  health  and  strength  will  endure 
the  journey,  my  heart  wnll  leap  for  joy  to  meet  you.  If 
you  are  in  want  of  any  clothes,  write  to  Mrs.  Knox,  she 
will  get  you  whatever  you  want ;  the  General  has  wrote 
to  her  for  that  purpose,  and  I  am  to  pay  the  General  here. 

"  Mr.  Lett's  family  have  engaged  you  to  spend  the 
summer  there.  It  is  about  nine  miles  from  this  place, 
and  about  twenty-two  or  three  miles  from  the  place  where 
we  are  going  to  encamp.  Tliey  are  one  of  the  finest 
families  you  ever  saw.  The  old  gentleman  and  his  lady 
are  as  merry  as  boys  of  fourteen  ;  there  are  four  or  five 
fine  young  ladies  of  delicate  sentiments  and  polite  educa- 
tion. They  are  all  anxious  to  see  you  and  cultivate  your 
acquaintance.  They  long  to  see  you,  and  impatiently 
wait  your  coming.  Heaven  grant  it  may  be  speedy  ! 
Mr.  HolTman  and  tlie  ladies  of  tins  place  wish  to  see  you, 
as  do  Lady  Stirling  and  Lady  Kitty,  one  of  the  finest 
young  ladies  1  ever  saw.  But  Mr.  Lott  claims  the  prefer- 
ence to  your  society.  His  son-in-law,  Mr.  Livingston, 
was  one  of  my  aide-de-camps  last  year,  which  introduced 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  377 

me  into  the  family.     You  may  learn  music  and  French, 
too,  there.     Adieu,  my  second  self." 

He  is  very  anxious  that  his  wife  should  appear  to 
advantage  among  the  friends  whose  opportunities 
of  early  education  had  so  far  exceeded  hers. 

"  Remember  when  you  write  to  Mrs.  Knox  you  write 
to  a  good  scholar,  therefore  mind  and  spell  well ;  you  are 
defective  in  this  matter,  my  love  ;  a  little  attention  will 
soon  correct  it.  Bad  writing  is  nothing,  if  the  spelling  is 
but  good.  People  are  often  laughed  at  for  not  spelling 
well,  but  never  for  not  writing  well.  It  is  said  it  is  un- 
genteel  for  gentlemen  to  make  observations  upon  ladies* 
writing.  I  hope  you  won't  think  it  unkind  in  me. 
Nothing  but  the  affection  and  regard  I  feel  for  you  makes 
me  wish  to  have  you  appear  an  accomplished  lady  in  every 
point  of  view." 

And  mingled  with  all  these  expressions  of  tender- 
ness is  the  great  anxiety  of  the  hour.  "How 
goes  on  the  inoculation  ? "  follows  close  upon 
"  How  is  my  son  ?  "  "  How  goes  on  recruiting  ?  " 
is  mixed  up  with  fears  for  her  health. 

"  I  am  happy  to  hear  you  have  such  a  fine  daugliter. 
As  to  her  name,  I  must  beg  to  be  excused  from  giving 
her  any  name.  That  falls  more  immediately  under  your 
province.  Mrs.  Washington's  Christian  name  is  Martha. 
I  shall  have  no  objection  to  that  or  any  other  name  you 
think  proper  to  give  her." 

Martha  Washington  was  the  name  chosen  for  this 
eldest  daughter,  as  George  Washington  had  been 
the  name  of  the  eldest  son.  But  in  the  next  para- 
graph the  husband  and  father  becomes  again  the 
patriot  and  general. 


378  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [17T7. 

"  Before  this  reaches  you,  the  account  of  the  loss  of  the 
stores  at  Daiihury  will  come  to  hand.  Our  loss  is  consid- 
erable in  stores,  the  enemy's  in  men.  This  was  a  bold 
mananivre,  and  does  the  enemy  great  credit,  notwith- 
standing it  is  at  our  expense.  It  is  supposed  the  enemy's 
loss  amounted  to  upwards  of  six  hundred  men  killed, 
wounded,  and  taken  prisoners.  Had  not  General  Wooster 
been  wounded,  ten  to  one  the  whole  party  had  been  cut 
off.  Before  he  was  wounded,  the  enemy  broke,  and  ran 
like  fury  ;  but  after  he  was  wounded,  there  was  nobody 
to  lead  the  troops  on,  which  gave  the  enemy  time  to  rally 
again. 

"  By  some  late  accounts  from  England,  we  learn  that 
Boston  is  to  be  attacked.  The  troops  continuing  so  long 
at  Rhode  Island  seems  to  favor  that  opinion.  General 
Howe  still  threatens  Philadelphia ;  if  he  attempts  it,  it 
will  be  a  bloody  march.  It  is  said  Carleton  is  crossing  the 
Lakes  ;  if  that  be  true,  General  Howe  must  be  bound  up 
the  North  River,  notwithstanding  all  his  parade  for  the 
southward." 

A  letter  begins  with  :  — 

"  I  waited  impatiently  for  the  post  to-day  ;  but,  to  my 
great  mortification,  not  a  line.  Captain  Flagg  (who  ar- 
rived here  a  day  or  two  past  with  the  Rhode  Island  de- 
tachment) informed  me  lie  left  you  unwell  with  a  fever." 
Expressions  of  anxiety,  and  of  his  longing  "  to  hear  from 
you,  but  much  more  to  see  you,"  follow,  but  then  the 
great  care  breaks  out.  "  By  intelligence  from  New  York 
and  Brunswick  yesterday,  we  learn  the  enemy  are  to  take 
the  field  the  first  of  June.  Their  delay  is  unaccountable 
already.  What  lias  kept  them  in  their  quarters  we  can't 
imagine.  We  liave  got  together  a  small  force,  althougli 
by  no  means  equal  to  our  expectations.  The  small-pox 
has  proved  a  great  hindrance  to   the  troops  coming  in. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  379 

However,  if  General  Howe  attempts  to  pass  through  the 
Jerseys,  we  determine  to  play  fury  with  him.  There  is 
little  or  no  reinforcement  expected  from  England.  0 
that  the  Americans  were  but  spirited  and  resolute,  how 
easy  the  attempt  to  rout  those  miscreants  !  but  their  fool- 
ish delays  and  internal  disputes,  I  fear,  will  protract  the 
war  to  a  much  greater  length  than  is  necessary  to  com- 
plete the  work.  I  am  sure  America  will  be  victorious 
finally,  but  her  sufferings  for  want  of  union  and  public 
spirit  may  be  great  first.  There  is  no  people  on  earth 
that  ever  had  so  fair  an  opportunity  to  establish  their 
freedom  at  so  easy  a  rate,  if  the  opportunity  had  been  prop- 
erly improved.     God  grant  a  happy  issue  to  the  war  !  " 

And  directly  after  the  admonition  to  take  heed  to 
her  spelling  in  her  letters  to  Mrs.  Knox  comes  :  — 

"  The  enemy  remains  at  Brunswick  in  a  frighted 
condition.  Our  army  are  camping  near  Boundbrook. 
Nothing  material  has  happened  since  I  left  this  place. 
By  some  late  arrivals  from  France  a  fresh  supply  of  arms 
and  clothing  is  received,  and  it  is  said  the  British  Ministry 
are  not  likely  to  get  any  reinforcements  from  Germany. 
If  so,  poor  General  Howe  is  still  at  an  humble  distance 
from  the  great  and  important  business  of  conquering 
America.  My  hand  trembles  so  prodigiously  that  I  can 
scarcely  write.  Tell  your  brother  Bill  to  bring  on  the 
bald  horse,  if  he  is  in  good  order." 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Scanty  Numbers  of  the  New  Army.  —  Greene's  Division.  —  Weedon. — 
Muhlenberg.  —  Exchanges  a  Regiment  with  Sullivan.  —  New  Aid. 
—  Washington's  Position.  —  Howe's  Plan.  —  Lee's  Treason.  —  Con- 
jectures and  Perplexity  of  the  Americans.  —  Preparations  for  the 
Campaign.  —  Howe's  Manoeuvres.  —  Americans  Advance  on  Bruns- 
wick.—  Howe  foiled.  —  Disasters  in  the  North. —  Greene  expects 
to  be  sent  North.  —  Washington  unwilling  to  part  with  him.  —  Veil 
partly  lifted.  —  March  to  the  Delaware. 

^piIE  army  for  the  new  campaign  consisted  of 
-*-  five  divisions,  each  division  containing  two 
brigades ;  and  the  Avhole  forming  forty-three  regi- 
ments of  eight  thousand  three  hundred  and  seven- 
ty-eight men,  inclusive  of  the  artillery  and  cavalry. 
The  cavalry  amounted  to  only  one  hundred  and 
eighty  men,  not  even  enough  for  vedettes  and 
patrols ;  and  of  this  small  army  "  upwards  of  two 
thousand  were  sick,  and  five  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred and  thirty-eight  rank  and  file  "  were  all  that 
could  be  counted  upon  for  active  service.^  Even 
of  those  five  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight,  half  were  raw  recruits,  ignorant  of  "  the  first 
rudiments  of  military  duty,"  and  wdio  "  had  never 
looked  an  enemy  in  the  face."     The  two  brigades  of 

1  There  is  h  discrepancy  between  shall,  Vol.  I.  p.  14.5.     Gordon  puts 

the  statcment.s  of  Gordon  and  Mar-  the  number  at  7,271,  inclusive  of  cav- 

shall,  although  liotli  wrote  from  ofli-  airy  and  artillery,  Vol.  II.  p.  469. 
cial  returns.     I  have  followed  Mar- 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  381 

Greene's  division  were  commanded  by  Weedon,  a 
Virginian,  with  whom  he  formed  a  warm  friendship 
and  continued  to  correspond  during  the  rest  of  his 
life ;  and  Peter  Muhlenberg,  the  Lutheran  parson, 
who,  teUing  his  parishioners  "  that,  in  the  language 
of  Holy  Writ,  there  was  a  time  for  all  things,  —  a  time 
to  preach  and  a  time  to  pray,  —  but  that  those  times 
had  passed  away  and  there  was  a  time  to  fight, 
and  that  time  was  now  come,"-  had  stripped  off  the 
preacher's  gown  which  concealed  the  soldier's  uni- 
form, and,  descending  the  pulpit,  ordered  the  drum 
to  beat  at  the  church  door  to  raise  recruits  for  the 
regiment  he  was  going  to  lead  to  the  army.^  One 
of  the  regiments  first  assigned  to  Greene  was  Ha- 
zen's,  which,  at  Sullivan's  request,  he  exchanged 
with  him  for  the  German  regiment  commanded  by 
Baron  Arendt. 

"  Your  Excellency's  favor  of  yesterday  this  moment 
came  to  hand,"  he  writes  to  Washington  from  Bound- 
brook  on  the  24th  of  May.  "  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  with 
the  exchange  of  Hazen's  regiment  for  the  Baron  Arendt's. 
I  am  by  no  means  attached  to  any  particular  regiment. 
Nearly  an  equal  distribution  of  the  forces  will  be  entirely 
satisfactory  to  me.  I  only  wish  to  stand  upon  an  equal 
footing  with  the  other  officers  ;  then,  if  I  don't  execute 
my  duty  as  well,  I  am  willing  to  be  subject  to  censure. 

"  General  Sullivan's  reasons  for  the  exchange  are  very 
substantial,  and  perfectly  satisfactory.  I  ever  wish  to 
make  the  good  of  the  service  my  principal  object.  When 
I  deviate  from  that  line  I  wish  to  be  corrected." 

In  his   military  family,  also,  a  change  had  been 

1  Life  of  Muhlenberg,  by  his  grandson,  Henry  A.  Muhlenberg,  p.  53. 


382  LIFE    OF   NATHAXAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

made.  Major  Clarke,  whom  he  had  been  brought 
into  such  pleasant  relations  with  at  Fort  Lee,  hav- 
ing taken  the  place  of  Major  Livingston  as  his  aid. 
The  merry,  restles.?,  witty  Blodget  was  still  his 
other  aid.  His  quarters,  as  the  dates  of  his  letters 
show,  were  part  of  the  time  at  Boundbrook  and 
part  of  the  time  at  Middlebrook. 

Whatever  the  British  general's  plan  might  be, 
Washington  had  chosen  his  position  well  for  speedily 
detectincT  them,  and  counteractins:  them  as  far  as  his 
means  would  permit.  Brunswick,  where  the  British 
army  still  lay,  was  within  ten  miles  of  his  camp ; 
and  from  the  high  ground  in  front  of  it  he  could 
look  down  upon  the  whole  field  of  the  enemy's 
operations,  tracing  the  course  of  the  Raritan  to  its 
mouth,  and  following  the  road  to  Philadelphia  deep 
into  southern  Jersev.  A  ridofe  of  strons:  and  com- 
raandingr  heicrhts,  connected  by  nature  and  strength- 
ened  by  art,  covered  his  encampment  in  front ;  while 
the  road  northward  for  a  junction  with  the  forces 
at  Peekskill,  and  the  road  southward  for  gathering 
in  his  right  wing  and  coming  out  upon  the  enemy's 
flank  or  rear,  lay  equally  within  his  reach.  Thus, 
whicheverwav  the  British  treneral  turned, — whether 
against  the  Highland  passes,  as  some  circumstances 
seemed  to  indicate,  or  towards  Philadelphia,  as 
seemed  equally  evident  from  others,  —  he  was  sm'e 
either  to  find  his  watchful  adversary  in  his  path  or 
feel  him  at  some  vulnerable  point. 

Well  might  the  American  generals  be  doubtful 
about  the  designs  of  Sir  William  Howe,  for  they 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  383 

were  no  less  a  mystery  to  officers  of  high  rank  in 
his  own  army.  Warned  by  Trenton  and  Princeton, 
he  had  drawn  in  his  scattered  forces,  abandoned  his 
conquests  of  December,  and  narrowed  down  his 
occupation  of  the  Jerseys  to  Brunswick  and  Am- 
boy,  —  posts  well  chosen  for  preserving  his  commu- 
nications with  New  York,  and  keeping  up  the 
appearance  of  a  design  upon  PhiladeljDhia.  In 
these  narrow  quarters  his  troops  had  suffered  all 
through  the  winter  from  hard  service  and  cold 
weather ;  their  pickets  were  often  surprised,  their 
fo raging-parties  assailed,  their  outposts  cut  ofF.^ 
But  in  March,  says  the  Newport  Gazette,  speaking 
the  wishes  of  the  Tories,  they  "  were  in  the  highest 
health  and  spirits,  longing  only  for  the  opening  of 
the  campaign  to  assert  the  injured  rights  of  their 
king  and  country.  They  are  well  supplied  with 
clothing  and  every  necessary,"^  They  had,  more- 
over, the  consolation  to  learn  from  the  same  au- 
thentic chronicler,  that,  while  they  were  thus  revel- 
ling in  abundance,  the  rebels  at  Morristown  were 
paying  fifteen  pence  a  pound  for  beef,  forty-five  for 
butter,  eight  shilUngs  apiece  for  geese  and  turkeys, 
and  that  "  their  salt  was  almost  expended."  How 
must  loyal  hearts  have  rejoiced  ! 

Meanwhile,  Sir  William  Howe  had  formed,  with 
the  approbation  of  the  ministry,  a  plan  for  sever- 
ing the  Eastern  States  from  the   Middle   States, 

1  Stedman's  History  of  the  Ameri-  man  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War  in 

can  War,  Vol.  I.  p.  276,  and  pas-  the  Middle  Colonies,  p.  59. 

sages  already  quoted  from  Greene's  '^  Newport  Gazette,  No.  11,  March 

Letters.     Also,  Letters  to  a  Noble-  27,  1777. 


384  LIFE    OF   NATH.\NAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

by  combining  the  movements  of  the  army  of  New 
York  with  those  of  the  army  of  Canada.  The  plan 
had  been  discussed,  the  details  matured,  and  prepara- 
tions were  busily  making  with  great  expectations  of 
success  on  the  part  of  all  whom  the  Commander-in- 
chief  had  admitted  to  his  confidence.  And  thus 
things  went  busily  on  till  the  beginning  of  April ; 
nothing  but  the  arrival  of  supplies  and  reinforce- 
ments from  England  being  wanted  to  "  open  the 
door  wide  for  the  Canada  army,"  and,  striking  "  at 
the  root  of  the  rebellion,  place  those  Independent 
Hypocrites  between  two  fires."  ^ 

April  came,  and  all  was  changed  ;  no  more  co- 
operation with  the  "  Canada  army,"  no  more  a  tri- 
umphant march  through  the  Jerseys ;  but  in  their 
stead  an  invasion  of  Pennsylvania  by  sea,  and  the 
conquest  of  Philadelphia  by  a  march  northward 
from  Chesapeake  Bay.  Great  was  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  English  generals,  and  greater  still  their 
disgust,  when  the  "  great  secret "  became  known. 
Not  the  least  decided  in  his  "  reprobation "  was 
Howe's  unwelcome  lieutenant  of  Bunker  Hill  and 
future  successor  at  Philadelphia,  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton. Cornwallis  and  Grant  alone  were  admitted  to 
the  full  confidence  of  their  general,  and  they  per- 
haps approved  of  his  new  decision.^  At  a  later  pe- 
riod in  the  war,  when  the  disastrous  consequences 

1  Moore's  Treason  of  Charles  Lee,  ^  MSS.  notes  to  Stedman's  History 

p.   91.     One   of   the   most  valuable  of    the   War,    attributed    to    Sir   H. 

monograms    of    our    Revolutionary  Clinton.     This  curious  copy  is  in  the 

history,  not  only  founded  upon  docu-  library  of  John  Carter  Brown,  Esq., 

ments,  but  controlled  by  them.  of  Providence. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  385 

of  this  ill-judged  change  became  evident  to  all, 
Howe  threw  the  responsibility  on  the  ministers, 
and  said  that  he  had  been  compelled  to  change  his 
plan  because  they  had  withheld  the  reinforcements 
which  he  had  demanded  as  a  condition  of  success. 

But  on  the  29th  of  March  General  and  Admiral 
Howe  had  received  a  letter  from  Charles  Lee,  — 
that  British  colonel  and  American  general  whose 
misfortunes  Washington  was  even  then  lamenting 
in  letters  to  Congress,  and  of  whom  Greene  writes 
to  Lincoln  twenty-one  days  later,  "  General  Lee's 
servant  and  dog  are  sent  down  to  the  lines  to  be 
sent  in  to  the  General.  You  will  please  to  give 
the  necessary  passport  accordingly."  Well  would 
it  have  been  for  Lee's  happiness  then,  and  his  good 
name  with  posterity,  if  he  had  humbled  himself  be- 
fore that  mute  favorite,  and  learned  from  its  plead- 
ing eyes  and  eloquent  caresses  the  precious  lesson 
of  fidelity.  For  in  that  fatal  letter,  —  never  ac- 
knowledged by  the  Howes,  lest  they  should  be 
taunted  with  havino^  failed  throuo-li  the  suo-o-estions 
of  a  traitor,  never  seen  for  eighty  years  by  other 
eyes  than  theirs  and  the  two  or  three  whom  they 
took  into  their  counsels,  but  which,  awakened  at  last 
from  its  almost  centennial  slumbers  in  their  domes- 
tic archives,  has  been  brought  back  to  the  very  spot 
in  which  it  was  written,  to  bear  witness,  when  every 
other  witness  had  passed  away,  against  the  heart 
that  conceived  and  the  hand  that  wrote  it,  —  in  this 
letter,  so  fortunately  preserved  and  so  strangely 
discovered,  it  is  written  that,  "  to  bring  matters  to 

25 


386  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  11777. 

a  conclusion,  it  is  necessary  to  unhinge  or  dissolve, 
if  I  may  so  express  myself,  the  whole  system  or 
machine  of  resistance,  or,  in  other  terms,  Congress 
government.  This  S3^stem  or  machine,  as  affairs 
now  stand,  depends  entirely  on  the  circmnstances 
and  disposition  of  the  people  of  Maryland,  Virginia, 
and  Pennsylvania.  If  the  Province  of  Maryland, 
or  the  greater  part  of  it,  is  reduced,  or  submits,  and 
the  people  of  Virginia  are  prevented  or  intimidated 
from  marching  aid  to  the  Pennsylvania  army,  the 
whole  machine  is  dissolved,  and  a  period  put  to  the 
war,  —  to  accomplish  which  is  the  object  of  the 
scheme  which  I  now  take  the  liberty  of  offering  to 
the  consideration  of  his  Lordship  and  the  General ; 
and  if  it  is  adopted  in  full,  I  am  so  confident  of  the 
success  that  I  would  stake  my  life  on  the  issue." 
By  this  "  scheme "  fourteen  thousand  men  were 
"  to  clear  the  Jerseys  and  take  possession  of  Phila- 
delphia," and  "  four  thousand  be  immediately  em- 
barked in  transports,  one  half  of  which  should  pro- 
ceed up  the  Potomac  and  take  post  at  Alexandria, 
the    other  half  up   Chesapeake   Bay   and   possess 

themselves  of  Annapolis From   these  posts 

proclamations  of  pardon  "  were  to  be  "  issued  to  all 
those  who  come  in  at  a  given  day ;  and  I  will  an- 
swer for  it  with  my  life,  that  all  the  inhabitants  of 
that  great  tract  southward  of  the  Patapsco,  and 
lying  betwixt  the  Potomac  and  Chesapeake  Bay, 
and  those  on  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Maryland,  will 
immediately  lay  down  their  arms.  But  this  is 
not  all.     I  am  much  mistaken  if  those  potent  and 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  387 

populous  German  districts,  Frederick  County  in 
Maryland  and  York  in  Pennsylvania,  do  not  follow 
their  example " ;  and  thus  Congress  cut  off  from 
its  constituents,  and  Washington  cut  off  from  rein- 
forcements, in  "less  than  two  months  from  the 
date  of  this  proclamation,  not  a  spark  of  this  deso- 
lating war  "  would  remain  "  unextinguished  in  any 
part  of  the  continent." 

How  did  the  two  brothers  look  when  they  saw 
the  well-known  handwriting  of  a  former  brother-in- 
arms, the  damning  record  of  the  wilful  treachery 
of  a  native  of  their  own  island  ?     In  all  the  com- 
mon relations  of  life  they  were  honorable  men,  and 
the  suspicion  of  personal  degradation  was  never 
raised  against  them.     But  now,  while  they  instinc- 
tively shrank  from  the   traitor,  they  found,  as  it 
seemed  to  them,  a  ray  of  light  in  his  treason.    They 
had  learned  that  their  expectation  of  supplies  and 
reinforcements  would   not  be  fulfilled  ;    that  the 
ministry,  while  it  approved  their  plans,  either  could 
not  or  would  not  give  them  the  means  of  accom- 
plishing them  ;  that,  for  whatever  they  did,  they 
must  chiefly  depend  upon  the  resources  which  they 
had  already  at  hand.     They  changed  their  plan, 
therefore,  and,  without  adopting  Lee's  in  full,  ac- 
cepted its  suggestion  of  beginning  their  operations 
from  the  south.    Sorely  must  the  pride  of  the  traitor 
have  been  tried  as,  watching  the  gradual  develop- 
ment of  their  campaign,  he  recognized  the  traces 
of  his  own  villany,  and  saw  in  the   caution  with 
which  his  suggestions  had  been  received  the  fatal 


388  LIFE    OF   NATILVNAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

proof  of  the  distrust  and  contempt  which  they  had 
awakened. 

To  the  Americans,  of  course,  these  things  were 
unknown ;  nor  is  there  any  ground  for  supposing 
that  Washington's  and  Greene's  distrust  of  Lee's 
capricious  temper  ever  extended  to  his  fidehty. 
Meanwhile,  as  Greene  revolved  the  possible  plans  of 
the  enemv,  he  wrote  to  John  Adams  :  — 

"  I  cannot  concur  with  you  in  sentiment  because  the 
enemy  did  not  go  to  Philadelphia  last  December  that  they 
had  no  intention,  then  or  since,  of  going  there.  I  am  of 
opinion,  if  the  enemy  could  have  got  over  tlie  Delaware 
immediately  after  our  army  crossed  it,  it  would  have  been 
agreeable  to  their  wishes.  Had  they  effected  it  before  the 
junction  of  the  forces  under  General  Lee  and  General 
Gates,  the  consequences  might  have  been  disagreeable. 
The  attempt  was  dangerous,  the  chain  of  communication 
from  Brunswick  being  very  extensive  for  the  number  of 
their  troops  to  maintain  ;  and  yet  I  cannot  think  at  that 
time  they  had  much  to  fear  either  from  Pennsylvania  or 
New  York. 

"  General  Howe  has  lost  the  most  favorable  opportunity 
this  spring  of  destroying  us,  perhaps,  that  he  ever  will 
have.  Had  he  marched  for  Pliiladelphia  as  soon  as  the 
season  opened,  he  might  have  performed  it  with  less  than 
one  half  the  force  necessary  to  accomplish  it  now.  Such 
a  stroke  before  the  formation  of  our  army  might  have 
given  us  a  deadly  wound  by  retarding  our  preparations 
for  some  months,  increasing  the  Tory  faction  and  depriv- 
ing us  of  many  valuable  stores." 

As  the  season  opened,  every  exertion  was  made 
to  get  the  army  well  in  hand,  and  prepare  the 
men  for  an  active  campaign. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  389 

"  I  arrived  at  this  place  yesterday  about  noon,"  Greene 
writes  to  TVashington  from  Boundbrook  on  the  24th  of 
May,  "  and  immediately  issued  the  necessary  orders  for 
collecting  the  troops  together  from  the  outposts.  I  fear, 
without  great  exertions  in  the  commissary's  department, 
there  will  be  a  want  of  provisions.  I  shall  endeavor  to 
learn  the  design  of  the  enemy's  collection  of  wagons. 

"  We  shall  begin  to  lay  off  the  encampment  this  morn- 
ing. Colonel  Biddle  arrived  too  late  last  night  to  do  any- 
thing more  than  to  ride  round  the  ground." 

"  I  find  a  great  want  of  tents  in  several  brigades,"  he 
writes  the  ensuing  day.  "  General  Maxwell  says  he  has 
none,  neither  has  he  had  it  in  his  power  to  get  any.  I 
shall  endeavor  to  get  a  more  particular  state  to-day,  and 
shall  notify  your  Excellency  upon  the  subject. 

"  A  small  detachment  of  Colonel  Lewis's  regiment 
came  in  last  evening  without  blankets  or  tents,  and  said 
there  was  none  to  be  had  at  Philadelphia.  If  that  be  true, 
we  shall  be  miserably  off. 

"  Upon  inquiry  I  find  the  camp  fever  begins  to  prevail 
among  some  of  the  troops.  Nothing  will  correct  this  evil 
like  the  free  use  of  vinegar.  The  mfen  feed  principally 
upon  animal  food,  which  produces  a  strong  inclination  to 
putrefaction.  Vegetables,  or  any  other  kind  of  food,  can- 
not be  had  in  such  plenty  as  to  alter  the  state  of  the  habit. 
Vinegar  is  the  only  sovereign  remedy.  Cost  what  it  may, 
I  would  have  it  in  such  plenty  as  to  allow  the  men  a  gill, 
if  not  a  half-pint,  each  day. 

"  If  cider  vinegar  cannot  be  had  in  such  plenty  as  the 
state  of  the  army  requires,  vinegar  can  be  made  with  mo- 
lasses, water,  and  a  little  flour  to  produce  a  fermentation. 
One  hogshead  of  molasses  and  one  barrel  of  rum  will 
make  ten  hogsheads  of  vinegar.  Vinegar  can  be  made 
from  the  simple  state  of  the  materials  fit  for  use  in  a 
fortnight's  time. 


300  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

"  I  think  it,  my  dear  General,  an  object  of  great  im- 
portance to  preserve  the  health  of  the  troops.  What  can 
a  sickly  army  do  ?  They  are  a  burden  to  themselves  and 
the  state  that  employs  them.  All  the  accumulated  ex- 
pense of  raising  and  supporting  an  army  is  totally  lost  un- 
less yon  can  find  means  to  preserve  the  health  of  the  troops. 
No  general,  however  active  himself,  or  whatever  may  be 
his  knowledge  or  experience  in  the  art  of  war,  can  execute 
anything  important  while  the  hospitals  are  crowded  with 
the  sick.  Besides,  such  a  spectacle  as  we  beheld  last 
campaign  is  shocking  to  the  feelings  of  humanity,  distress- 
ing to  the  whole  army  to  accommodate  the  sick  ;  but,  above 
all,  the  country  is  robbed  of  many  useful  inhabitants,  and 
the  army  of  many  brave  soldiers. 

"  Your  own  reputation,  the  protection  of  the  country, 
and  the  success  of  the  campaign,  are  dependent  upon  the 
health  of  the  army.  Objects  so  important  in  their  conse- 
quences demand  your  Excellency's  serious  attention. 

"  Enclosed  is  an  account  of  the  state  of  things  in  Bruns- 
wick yesterday.  Colonel  Brodhead's  picket  was  attacked 
yesterday.  The  enemy  took  one  foot  sentry  and  one  ve- 
dette ;  the  latter  -was  lost  by  attempting  too  raslily  to 
recover  the  foot  soldier,  which,  however,  was  recovered, 
but  wounded  in  a  most  shocking  manner. 

"  The  troops  are  encamping  as  fast  as  possible." 

The  work  of  preparation  continues ;  each  day,  or 
rather  each  hour,  bringing  some  new  difficulty  to 
light.  On  the  27th  he  writes  to  Washington  early, 
it  would  seem,  in  the  morning,  for  the  answer  comes 
the  same  day  :  — 

"  This  moment  the  commissary  reports  to  me  that  the 
provisions  and  the  su{)})lies  fall  short ;  and  that  it  is  out  of 
his  power,  with  his  utmost  exertions,  to  procure  a  sufficient 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  391 

supply.  I  wish  your  Excellency  would  order  the  commis- 
sary at  Morristown  down  here  as  soon  as  possible  to  the 
assistance  of  this. 

"  We  must  take  sheep  and  cattle  about  the  country  to 
supply  the  deficiency. 

"  I  think  Colonel  Trumbull  should  pay  immediate  atten- 
tion to  this  matter. 

"  A  deserter  of  the  71st  this  moment  came  in  from  Bon- 
umtown.  He  says  very  little.  He  says  it  is  the  common 
talk  in  the  British  army  they  are  going  to  Philadelphia 
by  water,  and  that  transports  are  prepared  and  preparing 
to  go  round  to  Philadelphia,  and  that  the  troops  are  all  to 
embark." 

"  I  have  ordered  the  assistant  commissary  at  this  place 
to  repair  immediately  to  camp,"  says  Washington  in  re- 
ply. "  It  is  the  peculiar  misfortune  of  this  army  to  have, 
generally  speaking,  the  heads  of  the  different  departments 
always  absent  when  they  are  most  wanted.  Two  months 
was  I  laboring,  as  hard  as  a  man  could,  to  get  the  Commis- 
sary-General to  this  place,  and  had  scarcely  accomplished  it 
before  the  Congress  ordered  him  to  Philadelphia ;  from 
whence  I  have  used  my  utmost  endeavors  to  bring  him 
back,  but  am  answered  that  he  is  detained  by  order.  In 
the  mean  while,  the  army  may  starve.  I  will  again  send 
to  him  by  express,  and  for  present  supplies  advise  the  adop- 
tion of  the  mode  you  pointed  out,  by  your  taking  the 
provision  out  of  the  country  about  Elizabethtown,  Newark, 
and  Millstone,  because  two  ends  will  be  answered  by  it.^ 
....  I  hope  Colonel  Dayton  reported  to  you  the  sus- 
picious person  arrested  at  Bullion's  tavern,  and  that  you 
have  had  him  under  examination  before  this." 

On  the  28tli  of  May  Washington  joined  the  army 
at  Middlebrook.^     And  now  began  the  manoeuvres 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV.        2  Gordon,  Vol.  II.  p.  469. 
p.  437. 


392  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

by  wliich  the  British  general  endeavored  to  deceive 
his  watchful  adversary,  —  threatenings  and  shows 
of  attack,  relapsing  suddenly  into  inactivity. 

"  The  Philistines  are  upon  thee,  Samson  ;  take  care  of 
thyself,"  Greene  writes  on  the  31st  to  Sullivan,  who  was 
posted  on  the  right  at  a  short  distance  from  the  main  body. 
"  The  enemy  are  destroying  their  works  at  Amboy  and 
reinforcing  Brunswick.  They  threaten  to  attack  us  here  ; 
they  are  welcome,  if  they  please.  If  they  are  bound  to 
Philadelphia,  I  think  they  will  endeavor  to  steal  a  march 
upon  us,  and  either  leave  you  to  the  right,  or  make  an  at- 
tack upon  you,  and  give  you  a  royal  rout.  I  am  going  to 
view  Millstone  this  afternoon,  to  establish  a  guard  there  of 
horse  and  foot.     God  bless  you  !  " 

Washington,  meanwhile,  was  strengthening  his 
position,  already  so  strong  by  nature  ;  for  he  was  re- 
solved to  leave  nothino;  to  chance  that  forethouarht 
could  make  sure. 

"  His  Excellency,"  Greene  writes  to  Lincoln  on  the  1st 
of  June,  "  thinks  it  advisable  to  fortify  with  a  small  re- 
doubt the  passes  through  the  mountains  not  stopped  or 
hedged  up.^  The  bigness  of  the  redoubts  should  be  pro- 
portioned to  the  strength  of  the  picket.  If  it  be  made 
defensible  against  small  arms,  it  will  be  sufficient,  as  no 
cannon  can  be  brought  to  play  against  them.  Such  works 
will  render  the  pass  much  more  formidable  and  the 
picket  quite  secure.  The  very  name  will  have  its  weight 
upon  the  minds  of  the  enemy.  It  will  take  but  little  time 
or  labor  to  construct  sucli  works.  I  purpose  to  fortify 
the  gap  at  Steel's  Tavern,  and  I  think  a  couple  of  small 
redoubts  are  necessary  upon  my  right  to  secure  that  flank. 
I  would  have  but  two  passes  leading  into  the  camp  front 

1  See  an  important  letter  of  Washington  to  Arnold.     Sparks,  Vol.  IV. 
p.  463. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  393 

or  rear.  Should  be  glad  of  your  opinion  upon  the  sub- 
ject. I  am  this  morning  going  to  Somerset  to  post  a  guard 
there.  I  shall  be  back  again  about  noon.  Should  be  glad 
to  see  you  at  my  quarters.  Please  to  come  and  dine  with 
me  and  the  young  gentlemen  of  your  family. 

"  Colonel  Parker  sent  in  a  prisoner  from  Westfield  last 
night.  I  think  he  is  an  American  recruit.  He  gives  much 
the  same  account  about  the  enemy  as  you  heard  before." 

And  again  on  the  9th  :  — 

"  Is  there  a  guard  posted  at  the  cross-roads  upon  your 
left  ?  I  think  our  front  is  very  secure,  and  our  flanks 
tolerably  well  guarded  ;  but  a  small  guard  seems  neces- 
sary to  me  at  the  cross-roads  on  the  left,  and  another  to 
the  right  towards  Pluckemin.  The  latter  I  shall  pay  par- 
ticular attention  to  ;  to  the  former  I  trust  you  will. 

"  Pray,  what  can  these  gentry  be  about  ?  I  never  was 
more  perplexed  to  unravel  and  adjust  the  contradictory 
intelligence.  I  cannot  think  General  Howe  will  attempt 
to  garrison  Brunswick  and  divide  his  force.  To  march  by 
land  to  Philadelphia  with  a  divided  force  is  not  a  little 
dangerous  ;  the  militia  may  retard  him  more  than  he  is 
aware  of,  and  the  Continental  troops  will  complete  his  ruin. 
If  he  gives  up  the  Jerseys,  and  goes  altogether  by  wa- 
ter, it  will  be  a  strong  proof  of  his  weakness,  and  cannot 
fail  to  ruin  their  interest  in  the  country.  The  people  will 
be  afraid  to  be  connected  with  those  who  can  only  afford 
them  a  temporary  and  water  security.  I  cannot  fix  a 
judgment  satisfactory  to  myself,  much  less  to  anybody  else." 

The  first  efforts  of  the  British  general  were  to 
draw  Washington  down  from  his  strong  position  ; 
and  failing  in  this,  he  retraced  his  steps  towards 
Amboy.  On  the  night  of  the  21st  "Washington 
called  a  council  of  war  in  which  it  was  determined  to 


394  LIFE    OF   NATH.LNAEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

advance  upon  Brunswick.  Greene  was  immediately 
pushed  forward  with  his  own  division,  strengthened 
for  the  occasion  by  Wayne's  brigade  and  Morgan's 
riflemen,  with  orders  to  fall  upon  the  enemy's  rear. 
Orders  were  sent  to  Sullivan  and  Maxwell  to 
co-operate  with  Greene.  In  the  advance  was  Mor- 
gan the  wagoner,  serving  for  the  first  time  under 
the  leader  for  whom,  three  years  later,  he  was  to 
win  the  decisive  battle  of  the  Cowpens.  The  road 
ran  along  the  right  bank  of  the  Raritan,  whose 
pleasant  waters  were  studded  with  starlight  when 
the  march  began,  but  were  already  glowing  with 
the  first  beams  of  mornino-  when  the  easrer  advance 
came  out  unexpected  upon  the  first  picket  of  the 
enemy.  They  were  Hessians,^  who  j^erhaps  re- 
called to  mind  Trenton,  as  they  fled  in  wild  dis- 
order towards  the  town,  hotly  pursued  by  Morgan 
and  his  riflemen.  In  a  few  minutes  the  American 
advance  and  British  rear  stood  face  to  face  close  to 
the  bridge ;  and  in  a  few  moments  more  up  came 
the  remainder  of  the  rifle  corps,  and  Wayne  with 
his  whole  brio-ade.  A  brisk  charge  cleared  the 
town,  and  compelled  the  enemy  to  take  refuge  in 
their  redoubts  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river.  But 
Morgan's  blood  was  up,  and  Wayne  was  eager  for 
a  fight,  and  Greene  was  not  the  man  to  hold  them 
back  where  impulse  might  almost  supply  the  place 
of  strength ;  and  without  waiting  to  see  how  much 
they  were  outnumbered,  they  pushed  on  over  the 
bridge,  and   drove   the   enemy  from   their   works. 

1  Almon's  Remembrancer,  Vol.  V.  p.  259. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  395 

Meanwhile,  as  day  advanced,  Washington  drew  out 
his  whole  army  on  the  high  grounds  in  front  of  his 
camp,  watching  anxiously  Greene's  movements,  and 
looking  eagerly  for  some  sign  that  Sullivan  and 
Maxwell  were  at  their  posts.  But  Sullivan  had  re- 
ceived his  orders  too  late  to  get  up  in  season ;  and 
Maxwell,  by  the  desertion  or  capture  of  the  express 
to  whom  they  were  confided,  did  not  receive  his  at 
all.  And  thus  the  English  general,  harassed  in- 
deed, and  with  his  rear-guard  sorely  pressed,  but 
with  his  main  body  untouched,  held  on  his  way  to- 
wards Am  boy ;  marking  his  steps  by  a  long  line  of 
smoke  and  flame  from  the  burning  houses  and  barns, 
which  in  happier  days  the  wretched  owners,  little 
dreaming  of  the  desolation  that  was  to  come  upon 
them,  had  confidingly  built  by  the  wayside.  The 
Americans  continued  the  pursuit  as  far  as  Piscata- 
way. 

"  General  Greene  desires  me,"  writes  Washington  to 
the  President  of  Congress,  "  to  make  mention  of  the  con- 
duct and  bravery  of  General  Wayne  and  Colonel  Morgan  and 
of  their  officers  and  men  upon  this  occasion,  as  they  con- 
stantly advanced  upon  an  enemy  far  superior  to  tliem  in 
numbers,  and  well  secured  behind  strong  redoubts."  ^ 

And  thus  June  slowly  wore  away  in  movements 
which,  on  the  2d  of  July,  Washington  briefly  sum- 
med up  in  a  letter  to  the  President  of  Congress  :  — 

"  General  Howe,  as  you  have  been  informed,  made  a 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV.  Graham,  pp.  125, 126  ;  an  able  work, 
p.  471.  Gordon,  Vol.  II.  pp.  471,  founded  upon  a  careful  study  of  docu- 
472.      Life   of   Morgan,    by  James     ments. 


396  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

show  of  marching  for  the  Delaware,  but  suddenly  turned 
back  to  Brunswick,  and  from  thence  to  Amboy.  He  came 
out  again  with  his  whole  force  a  few  days  ago,  with  a  seem- 
ing intention  to  make  a  general  attack  upon  us ;  but  after 
marching  seven  or  eight  miles  parallel  with  the  Sound, 
he  returned  again  into  Amboy,  contenting  himself  with 
burning  many  houses  and  plundering  all  that  fell  in  his 
way."  1 

And  on  the  2d  of  July,  in  a  final  recapitulation,  he 
writes  to  Governor  Trumbull  from  Middlebrook  :  — 

"  Since  my  last,  the  enemy,  disappointed  in  their  at- 
tempt upon  our  right,  have  made  an  experiment  upon  our 
left,  and,  frustrated  in  that  also,  have  now  abandoned  the 
Jerseys  and  encamped  upon  Staten  Island.  There  is  a 
great  stir  among  their  shipping,  and  in  all  probability  their 
next  movement  will  be  by  water ;  though  it  is  impossible 
to  decide  with  certainty  to  what  place."  ^ 

Howe  had  tried  to  conquer  by  numbers  and  dis- 
cipline, and  failed ;  he  had  tried  manoeuvres  and 
strategy,  and  his  failure  was  still  more  signal.  What 
will  he  try  next  ?  was  the  chief  question  in  the 
American  camp,  —  the  subject  of  many  a  long  con- 
ference betwixt  Washington  and  Greene,  as  they 
compared  the  reports  of  their  spies  and  their  own 
calculations  of  the  various  chances  of  war ;  but  con- 
ferences into  which  success  had  infused  a  confidence, 
a  buoyancy  almost,  of  hope,  which  had  never 
mingled  with  them  before.  Of  this  hope,  one  of  the 
chief  sources  was  the  reawakening  of  popular  en- 
thusiasm ;  for  no  sooner  had  Howe  beijun  to  move 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV.  p.  479.  2  jbid.^  p.  477. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  397 

than  the  mihtia  began  to  rise  on  every  side,  —  that 
same  Jersey  militia  which,  when  the  British  army 
first  came  among  them,  had  either  skulked  igno- 
miniously  away  to  avoid  taking  up  arms  on  either 
side,  or  crowded  still  more  ignominiously  on  the 
path  of  the  invader,  to  ask  protection  at  his  hand.^ 
The  ravages  and  outrages  of  November  and  De- 
cember had  convinced  the  Jerseymen  that  there 
was  no  protection  for  them  but  in  the  sword.^ 

The  tidings  from  the  northward  seemed  to  indi- 
cate a  combined  movement  of  the  two  hostile  ar- 
xnies,  —  a  measure  so  accordant  with  sound  military 
principles,  that  Washington,  supposing  that  his  ad- 
versary would  do  what  evidently  he  ought  to  do, 
and  looking  suspiciously  upon  the  passes  of  the 
Highlands,  advanced  first  to  Morristown,  next  to 
Pompton  Plains,  and  thence  to  Ramapo  Clove. 

In  the  midst  of  these  movements  came  disastrous 
tidings  from  the  North. 

"  General  St.  Clair,"  Greene  writes  from  Pompton 
Plains  on  the  13th  of  July,  "  who  commanded  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  has  evacuated  that  important  post.  His  garrison 
consisted  of  between  four  and  five  thousand  men,  in  good 
health  and  high  spirits.  With  such  a  garrison,  strongly 
intrenched  and  well  armed,  fully  supplied  with  provisions 
and  ammunition,  and  the  works  defended  by  one  hundred 
and  seventy  pieces  of  cannon,  it  was  evacuated  without 
firing  a  gun.  General  Schuyler  had  two  thousand  men 
with  him  at  Fort  Edward.    General  Nixon  was  on  his 

1  Gordon,Vol.  II.p.470.    Sparks's  ^  Letters  to  a  Nobleman  upon  the 

Washington,  Vol.  IV.  pp.  465  -  482.  Conduct  of  the  War  in  the  Middle 

Arnold  to  Mifflin.    Almon's  Remem-  Colonies.     Letter  III. 
brancer,  Vol.  V.  p.  268. 


398  LIFE   OF   NATILINAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

march  from  Albany  with  upwards  of  one  thousand  Con- 
tinental troops,  the  militia  of  the  country  coming  in  from 
all  quarters  to  the  aid  of  the  garrison ;  and  the  command- 
ing officer,  fully  acquainted  with  all  these  circumstances, 
has  abandoned  the  post.  What  could  induce  him  to  take 
such  a  measure  God  only  knows  !  Burgoyne's  whole 
force  only  consisted  of  five  thousand  five  hundred  men, 
—  the  whole  is  a  mystery  to  all  the  army.  Charity  obliges 
me  to  suspend  all  ill-natured  reflections,  but  I  fear  tliere 
has  been  some  misconduct  somewhere.  Our  aftairs  never 
were  in  so  prosperous  a  train  as  they  were  before  this. 
This  affair  will  give  us  a  severe  wound.  But  by  the 
blessing  of  God  I  hope  to  recover  the  shock.  What  has 
become  of  the  garrison,  whether  they  are  prisoners  or 
gone  down  to  No.  4,  I  cannot  learn.  I  think  it  is  proba- 
ble I  shall  be  sent  to  the  North. 

"  General  Howe  and  almost  all  his  troops  are  embarked, 
their  destination  unknown.  I  have  had  some  fears  for 
Providence,  but  Philadelphia  or  the  North  River  are  ob- 
jects of  much  greater  importance.  We  are  on  our  march 
to  join  General  Putnam  on  the  North  River." 

It  was  evident  that  somebody  must  be  promptly 
sent  to  the  North.  Washington  felt  the  necessity, 
but  hesitated  in  his  choice. 

"  It  is  not  determined  who  goes  to  Ticonderoga," 
Greene  writes  to  his  wife  on  the  17th.  "  I  can  plainly  see 
the  General  wants  me  to  go,  but  is  unwilling  to  part  with 
me  ;  he  has  set  several  persons  to  sound  my  inclinations. 
1  will  go  if  tlie  General  give  the  order  and  the  good  of  the 
service  requires  it ;  but  I  feel  a  reluctance,  and  the  more 
so  as  it  is  disagreeable  to  you.  If  I  am  left  at  liberty  to 
consult  my  own  inclination,  I  shall  not  go ;  but  if  my  honor 
and  reputation  becomes  interested,  I  must  consent,  and  I 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  399 

am  sure  your  love  and  affection  is  such,  if  my  character  is 
at  stake,  to  give  your  consent  also." 

As  he  foresaw,  the  General  was  "  unwilling  to 
part  with  him  "  ;  and  for  him  the  change  would  have 
been  the  more  unwelcome,  as  his  wife  was  now 
within  a  day's  ride  of  him  at  Mr.  Lott's,  and  he  was 
very  happy  to  have  her  there. 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lott,"  he  writes,  "  are  laying  us  under 
an  obligation  never  to  be  cancelled ;  their  politeness, 
kindness,  hospitality  and  friendship  to  you  and  me  im- 
presses my  heart  with  a  weight  of  gratitude  that  almost 
makes  me  unhappy  from  the  little  prospect  I  have  of 
making  a  suitable  return  for  their  goodness.  Never  did  I 
see  a  finer  family  in  all  my  life.  I  am  sure  you  will  love 
and  respect  them.  .  .  .  I  long  to  be  with  you  again.  The  soft 
delights,  the  sweet  pleasures  of  social  endearments  I  felt 
at  our  meeting,  still  dances  round  my  heart,  makes  me 
wish  their  continuance;  but  Fate,  cruel  Fate!  cuts  the 
thread,  and  leaves  but  the  remembrance  of  past  pleasures 
to  console  us  for  solid  enjoyments.  Heaven  grant  you 
protection,  my  dear  angel,  through  all  the  slippery  paths 
of  life,  give  you  prudence,  patience,  and  health  to  enjoy 
your  friends  and  make  everybody  love  you  as  I  do,  — 
only  in  a  less  degree ! " 

No  wonder  that  he  looked  reluctantly  upon  a 
campaign  in  Canada.  Lincoln,  a  judicious  and  brave 
officer  was  sent  in  his  stead,  and  he  gladly  remained 
by  the  side  of  his  beloved  commander.  Still  closely 
watching  the  British,  General  Washington  advanced 
eleven  miles  into  the  Clove,  making,  says  Picker- 
ing's diary,  "  his  head-quarters  at  Galloways,  an  old 
log-house.     The  General  lodged  in  a  bed,  his  family 


400  LIFE    OF   NATIUJN'AEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

on  the  floor  about  him.    We  had  plenty  of  supawn 
and  milk,  and  all  were  contented."  ^ 

"  His  conduct  is  puzzling  and  embarrassing  beyond 
measure,"  Washington  writes  to  Schuyler  on  the  22d. 
"  So  are  the  informations  which  I  get.  At  one  time  the 
ships  are  standing  up  towards  the  North  River  ;  in  a  little 
while  they  are  going  up  the  Sound ;  and  in  an  hour  after 
they  are  going  out  of  the  Hook."  ^ 

Again  the  army  was  drawn  back  to  Ramapo. 

"  We  are  this  moment  returned  to  our  old  quarters  at 
this  place,"  Greene  writes  to  his  wife  on  the  28d.  "  Our 
future  motions  will  depend  entirely  upon  General  Howe's 
motions.  If  he  goes  into  New  England,  we  shall  follow 
him  ;  if  he  goes  to  Philadelphia,  we  shall  go  there.  Our 
march  will  (be)  rapid  if  the  fleet  moves  to  the  westward. 
I  hope,  however,  not  so  rapid  but  that  I  shall  have  an 
opportunity  to  call  and  see  you.  If  our  accommodations 
were  better,  and  your  health  and  strength  capable  of  en- 
during the  fatigue,  I  could  wish  to  see  you  here  to-morrow, 
and  some  of  the  young  ladies  with  you.  Our  accommo- 
dations are  not  good.  However,  I  believe  our  stay  will 
be  short  here,  —  perhaps  we  may  march  in  the  morning. 
If  you  should  set  out  to  come  on,  if  we  sliould  march  I 
shall  send  forward  an  aide-de-camp  to  notify  you  thereof. 
This  I  shall  do  whether  you  come  or  not,  if  we  march  to 
Philadelphia  or  to  the  eastward." 

At  last  the  veil  was  partly  lifted. 

"  I  have  just  received  information,"  Washington  writes 
to  Lincoln  on  the  24th,  "  that  the  fleet  left  the  Hook  yes- 

1  Pickering's   MSS.  Diary.     For     rapher,  Octavius  Pickering,  of  Cam- 
the  use  of  whicli  I  am  indebted  to     bridge. 
the  kindness   of  his   son   and  biog-        ^  Sparks,  "Vol.  IV.  p.  505. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATH.\N.\EL    GREENE.  401 

terday,  and  as  I  think  the  Delaware  the  most  probable 
place  of  their  destination,  I  shall  immediately  move  the 
army  that  way."^ 

By  the  end  of  the  month  the  American  army  was 
once  more  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware,  —  part  of 
them  at  Coryell's  Ferry,  part  at  Howell's  Ferry,  and 
part  at  Trenton,  —  still  waiting  in  painful  uncertain- 
ty to  become  assured  "  of  the  real  destination  of 
the  enemy. 


"  2 


1  Spaiks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV.  p.  505.  2  jbid.,  Vol.  V.  p.  7. 


26 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Greene,  Sullivan,  and  Knox  on  the  Point  of  resigning.  —  Their  Con- 
duct misrepresented.  —  Defects  of  tlie  Civil  Government  of  the 
Revolution.  —  Change  in  the  Relations  bewteen  Congress  and  the 
Country.  —  Relations  of  Congress  to  the  State  Governments.  —  To 
the  Army.  —  Opposition  and  Collisions.  —  Question  of  Promotion. 
—  Letters  to  John  Adams.  —  Foreign  Officers.  —  Du  Coudray.  — 
Conditional  Tender  of  Resignation.  —  Congress  very  angry.  —  Reso- 
lutions. —  Interruption  of  Greene's  Correspondence  with  John 
Adams.  —  Letter  to  President  of  Congress. 


"Wf  HILE  all  eyes  were  thus  turned  northward 
or  seaward,  and  attention  was  waiting  pain- 
fully upon  the  steps  of  Howe  and  Burgoyne,  of 
Schuyler  and  Washington,  another  question  had 
arisen  vvhich  threatened  for  the  moment  to  deprive 
the  country  of  the  services  of  three  of  its  best  gen- 
erals, Greene,  Sullivan,  and  Knox.  As  the  story  of 
this  transaction  has  never  yet  been  fully  told,  and 
Greene  has  more  than  once  been  taxed  with  pre- 
cipitancy for  an  act  which  was  the  result  of  mature 
deliberation,  I  shall  endeavor,  as  far  as  my  mate- 
rials permit,  to  show  by  what  causes  he  was  led,  at 
so  critical  a  moment,  to  an  act  so  decisive  as  the 
conditional  tender  of  his  resio-nation. 

It  was  one  of  the'  misfortunes  of  the  times,  that 
the  civil  government  of  the  Revolution  should  have 
resolved  upon  a  legislative  assembly.  Tli.e  first  Con- 
tinental Congress  enjoyed  and  deserved  in  a  re- 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATIL\NAEL    GREEXE.  403 

markable  degree  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the 
country.  The  second  Congress  was  composed  of 
eminent  men,  and  succeeded,  for  a  time,  to  the 
honors  and  reputation  of  the  first.  But  when  it  at- 
tempted to  pass  from  discussion  to  organization,  and 
to  direct  as  well  as  to  frame  the  machinery  of  ad- 
ministration, its  delays  and  disputes  and  errors  and 
contradictions  and  hesitations  excited  a  well-found- 
ed distrust  of  its  executive  skill.  Conscious  of  this 
distrust,  it  became  jealous  of  its  authority  ;  and  in- 
stead of  endeavoring  to  regain,  by  correcting  its 
errors,  the  ground  which  it  had  lost  by  committing 
them,  it  grew  suspicious  and  exacting  in  proportion 
to  the  decay  of  its  strength.  And  wdiile  this  criti- 
cal change  in  its  relations  to  the  country  was  tak- 
ing place,  important  changes  took  place  also  in 
the  materials  of  which  it  was  composed,  —  some 
of  its  wisest  members  being  removed  by  death, 
or  imperative  calls  to  other  fields  of  duty,  or  by 
failing  of  re-election  at  the  regular  expiration  of 
their  terms  of  office. 

Among  the  first  elements  with  which  it  was 
brought  into  collision  were  the  newly  organized 
governments  of  the  States.  The  question  of  State 
rights,  that  unsolved  problem  of  our  history,  begins 
almost  with  the  beginning  of  the  war.  How  abun- 
dant and  active  the  materials  of  disunion  were,  and 
how  difficult  it  was  even  for  leadino;  men  to  rise 
above  them  might  be  proved  by  numerous  passages 
in  the  letters  of  Washington  and  Greene,  if  it  were 
not  still  more  evident  from  the  conduct  of  the  local 


404  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

legislatures.  How  fur  this  spirit  might  have  been 
coiihteracted  or  controlled  if  the  policy  of  the  Con- 
gress had  been  that  policy  of  prompt  decision  and 
energetic  action  which,  commanding  respect  at  all 
times,  commands  in  times  of  general  danger  gen- 
eral and  implicit  obedience,  it  is  impossible  to  say. 
The  problem  of  union  was  a  complex  problem, 
hedged  round  with  natural  and  artificial  difficulties, 
to  which  the  f)olitical  science  of  the  day,  contem- 
plating it  from  a  lower  point  of  view  and  with  a 
narrow  horizon,  afforded  no  satisfiictory  solution. 
To  meet  it  and  solve  it  in  the  midst  of  an  ex- 
hausting civil  war  required  a  larger  comprehension, 
a  firmer  control  of  the  passions,  and  a  clearer  per- 
ception of  general  truths,  than  are  often  given  to 
large  bodies,  whether  they  meet  for  deliberation 
or  for  action.  They  were  not  given  to  the  Congress 
nor  to  the  State  governments  of  the  Revolution. 

Another  element  with  which  it  was  brought  into 
immediate  and  constant  relations  was  the  army ; 
and,  unfortunately  for  both,  these  relations,  from 
their  very  nature,  brought  into  immediate  and  con- 
stant contrast  the  elements  of  opposition  which  they 
both  contained,  rather  than  the  elements  of  har- 
monious action,  which  they  also  contained  in  an 
almost  equal  degree.  If  the  Congress  was  com- 
posed of  the  representatives  of  the  people,  the  army 
was  composed  in  a  large  proportion  of  the  con- 
stituents of  the  Congress.  More  than  once  also, 
during  the  course  of  the  war,  men  who  had  done 
good  service  for  their  country  as  soldiers,  withdraw- 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  405 

ing  from  their  original  field  of  action,  did  equally 
good  service  for  her  as  statesmen.  And  more  than 
once,  too,  men  who  had  proved  themselves  wise  and 
eloquent  in  counsel  were  found  at  the  head  of  a 
regiment,  or  even  in  more  subordinate  positions  in 
the  army.  Sullivan,  Schuyler,  and  Varnum  became 
distinguished  members  of  Congress,  after  having 
been  distinguished  generals,  John  Dickinson  was 
serving  in  the  army  during  a  part  of  1776  with  the 
same  zeal  with  which  he  had  served  in  Coni»:ress 
during  another  part  of  the  same  year.  Washington 
himself  had  passed  directly  from  his  seat  in  Con- 
gress Hall  to  the  camp  before  Boston.  The  real 
interest  and  the  real  object  of  the  citizen  in  arms 
and  of  the  citizen  in  the  toga  were  still  the  same. 

But  their  point  of  view  was  different.  The  ever- 
present  object  of  Congress  was  discussion  as  a 
means  of  organization.  The  ever-present  object  of 
the  leaders  of  the  army  was  decision  as  a  means  of 
action.  Congress  counted  obstacles,  weighed  dif- 
ficulties, balanced  opposing  advantages,  eating  and 
sleeping  meanwhile  and  refreshing  mind  and  body 
as  nature  bade.  But  while  Congress  was  deliberat- 
ing upon  the  best  way  of  procuring  meat,  the  army 
was  often  brought  to  the  verge  of  starvation  for  the 
want  of  it.  While  Congress  was  discussing  by  a 
w^arm  fire  the  most  eligible  method  of  providing  the 
army  with  tents  and  blankets,  half  the  army  was 
sleeping  on  the  snow  without  either  blanket  or  tent. 
While  Congress  was  framing  elaborate  resolutions, 
and  drawing  out  and  equipping  regiments  upon 


40G  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

IDiiper,  officers  in  the  field  were  standing  disheart- 
ened before  their  thinned  and  disheartened  ranks. 
No  object  could  wear  the  same  shape  or  color  to 
men  who  contemplated  it  from  such  difterent  points 
of  view. 

And  yet  the  object  of  Congress  and  the  army  was 
the  same,  —  independence;  and  in  both  bodies  the 
leaders  were  contending  for  it  under  the  same  fear- 
ful responsibility  of  fortune  and  life. 

In  an  organized  government,  the  army,  however 
constituted,  is  the  instrument  of  government,  and 
subject  implicitly  to  its  control.  In  a  revolutionary 
government,  the  army  is  the  organ  of  revolution ; 
and  government,  in  its  relations  with  it,  must  rec- 
ognize its  equal  claims  to  respect  and  considera- 
tion, for  the  only  hold  upon  it  is  the  hold  of 
opinion.  When  the  war  began,  Congress  held  the 
army  by  harmony  of  opinion,  and  might  easily 
have  continued  so  to  hold  it  until  the  end  of  the 
war.  But  to  do  this,  it  should  have  made  it  its 
aim  to  inspire  the  army  with  confidence  in  its 
justice  and  energy.  Errors  of  statesmanship,  like 
errors  of  generalship,  would  easily  have  been  for- 
given and  forgotten ;  for  both  statesmen  and  gen- 
erals had  still  nuich  to  learn.  Unfortunately,  while 
the  best  generals  strove  earnestly  to  correct  their 
errors  by  their  experience.  Congress,  in  too  many 
things,  clung  obstinately  to  its  errors,  in  spite  of 
the  most  decisive  experience. 

Those  errors  were   twofold,  —  errors   of  policy 
and  errors  of  principle,  —  the  one  tending  to  un- 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  407 

dermine  the  respect  which,  m  the  beginning,  was 
felt  for  their  wisdom ;  the  other,  to  awaken  a  gen- 
eral distrust  of  their  justice. 

The  first  year  of  the  war  demonstrated  the  dan- 
ger of  short  enlistments  and  temporary  levies. 
But  more  than  half  the  second  year  was  allowed 
to  pass  before  it  was  decided  to  raise  an  army  for 
the  whole  duration  of  the  war.  The  first  campaign 
demonstrated  the  necessity  of  providing  by  reg- 
ularly organized  departments  for  the  food,  clothing, 
and  transportation  of  the  army ;  but  it  was  not  till 
late  in  the  second  year  that  a  board  of  war  was 
organized;  and  not  till  later  still  that  the  Quar- 
termaster-General and  Commissary-General  were 
allowed  to  devote  themselves  to  their  duty  in 
camp,  instead  of  waiting  idly  for  orders  at  the  door 
of  Congress.  All  experience  and  the  simplest  rea- 
soning showed  the  importance  of  strengthening  the 
hands  of  their  General  by  passing  promptly  all  the 
acts  needed  for  the  conduct  of  an  army  in  the 
field,  or  the  support  and  instruction  of  an  army  in 
quarters ;  but,  in  spite  of  all  experience  and  the 
plainest  reason.  Congress  persisted  in  its  unsea- 
sonable delays.  Washington  was  compelled  to 
take  the  field,  with  his  ranks  half  filled,  his  maga- 
zines inadequately  supplied,  and  his  men  badly 
clothed,  badly  armed,  and  often  ignorant  of  the 
first  rudiments  of  their  duty.  The  policy  of  the 
Congress,  in  the  organization  and  support  of  the 
army,  was  a  policy  of  tergiversation  and  delay. 
No  wonder  that  the  army,  leaders  and  all,  should 
early  lose  their  confidence  in  its  wisdom ! 


408  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

Eut  the  dissatisfaction  did  not  end  here.  One  of 
the  earliest  felt  of  the  numerous  wants  of  the  army 
was  the  want  of  good  ofheers,  —  men  to  whose  in- 
telli<'-enee,  iudo-ment,  and  consciences  the  lives  of 
their  suljordinates  could  be  intrusted  with  full 
confidence  that  the  trust  would  neither  be  rashly 
assumed  nor  carelessly  administered.  To  select 
them  in  the  beginning  from  the  mass  of  unproved 
candidates  was  impossible ;  but  in  the  course  of 
two  campaigns,  the  characters  and  pretensions  of 
men  were  well  tried,  the  chaff  thoroughly  sifted, 
and  what  remained  might  be  confidently  accepted 
as  sound.  The  army  of  1777  contained  materials 
out  of  which  all  the  vacant  grades  might  be  safely 
and  adequately  filled  ;  not,  indeed,  with  men  who 
had  learned  their  profession  in  all  its  details,  but 
with  men  who  had  been  tried  in  battle,  had  been 
tried  in  long  marches  and  comfortless  encamp- 
ments, and  who  had  given  abundant  proofs  of 
courage,  intelligence,  and  endurance.  The  raw 
recruits  that  came  into  the  hands  of  men  like 
these  soon  became  patient  of  labor  and  privation, 
and  bold  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy.  It  was 
evidently  the  policy  of  Congress  to  secure  by  all 
proper  and  reasonable  inducements  the  services  of 
such  officers  for  the  war.  It  was  the  duty  of  Con- 
gress, in  its  dealings  with  them,  to  remember  that 
in  becoming  soldiers,  and  exposing  themselves  to 
the  dangers  and  privations  of  a  soldier's  life,  they 
adopted,  with  the  ideas  of  subordination  that  lie 
at  the  basis  of  military  discipline,  the  ideas  of  rank 


1777.]  ■  LIFE    OF    NATHAN.\EL    GREENE.  409 

and  grade  which  define  and  circumscribe  that  sub- 
ordination. 

But  Congress  remembered  nothing  of  this.  It 
required  of  them  the  service  of  officers,  but  gave 
them  a  pay  hardly  sufficient  to  enable  them  to  live 
like  private  soldiers.  It  demanded  the  present 
sacrifice  of  cold,  hunger,  hard  service,  and  exposure 
to  sickness,  wounds,  and  death  ;  and  refused  the 
prospective  reward  of  half-pay  or  pension  when 
sickness  or  wounds  should  have  incapacitated  them 
for  further  exertion,  or  death  should  have  made 
their  wives  unprotected  widows,  and  their  chil- 
dren helpless  orphans.  Forgetting  that  pride  is  an 
essential  element  of  the  military  character,  and 
that  self-respect  is  essential  to  a  healthy  and  sus- 
taining pride,  it  trifled  with  their  claims  to  rank  by 
the  accepted  rules  of  service,  and  claimed  and  ex- 
ercised the  power  of  dealing  with  commissions  ac- 
cording to  its  own  good  pleasure.  John  Adams,  as 
we  have  already  seen,  did  not  hesitate  to  write : 
"  Our  late  promotions  may  possibly  give  disgust, 
but  that  cannot  be  avoided " ;  and  by  an  error 
which,  though  not  uncommon,  is  one  of  the  most 
baneful  into  which  a  statesman  can  fall,  applying 
a  principle  of  Grecian  and  Roman  polity  to  a  so- 
ciety founded  upon  an  entirely  different  basis  from 
that  of  Greece  and  Rome,  he  added  :  — 

"  I  hope,  for  my  own  part,  that  Congress  will  elect  an- 
nually all  the  general  officers.  If,  in  consequence  of  this, 
some  great  men  should  be  obliged  at  the  year's  end  to  go 
home  and  serve  their  country  in  some  other  capacity,  not 


410  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

less  necessary,  and  better  adapted  to  their  genius,  I  do 
not  think  tht3  public  would  be  ruined.  The  officers  of  the 
army  ought  to  consider  that  the  rank,  the  dignity,  and  the 
rights  of  whole  States,  are  of  more  importance  than  this 
point  of  honor  ;  more,  irideed,  than  the  solid  glory  of  any 
particular  officer.  The  States  insist,  with  great  justice 
and  sound  policy,  on  having  a  share  of  the  general  officers 
in  some  proportion  to  the  quotas  of  troops  they  are  to 
raise.  This  principle  has  occasioned  some  of  our  late 
promotions ;  and  it  ought  to  satisfy  gentlemen.  But,  if 
it  does  not,  they,  as  well  as  the  public,  must  abide  the  con- 
sequences of  their  discontent."  ^ 

It  did  not  satisfy  gentlemen ;  for  they  very 
naturally  thought  that  the  sacrifice  of  domestic 
happiness  and  professional  advantages  which  they 
had  made,  and  were  still  making,  gave  them  an  un- 
questionable claim  to  all  the  privileges  which  the 
usages  of  modern  society-  attached  to  their  official 
position.  They  felt  that,  by  those  usages,  to  be 
superseded  was  to  be  degraded;  and  that,  if  much 
was  due  to  the  critical  condition  of  their  coun- 
try', something  also  was  due  to  that  universal 
principle  of  human  nature  which  compels  the  man 
who  has  been  degraded  in  his  own  eyes  to  look 
upon  himself  as  hopelessly  degraded  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world.  Therefore  the  laws  of  promotion  be- 
came at  a  very  early  period  of  the  war  a  subject  of 
serious  thought  to  all  who  were  within  the  sphere 
of  their  influence ;  and,  except  the  Commander-in- 
chief,  all  were  almost  equally  within  it.  And  thus, 
as  early  as  the  second  campaign,  it  came  to  be  re- 

1  Life  of  John  Adams,  by  Charles  Francis  Adams,  p.  263. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  411 

garded  as  an  accepted  principle,  and  consequently, 
an  imperative  rule  of  action,  that  the  promotion  of 
a  junior  officer  over  a  senior  must,  except  in  the 
case  of  some  distinguished  service,  be  received  as  a 
public  declaration  that  the  senior  was  unfit  for  his 
position.^ 

How  Greene  felt  upon  this  subject,  and  how  he 
felt  towards  Congress,  will  best  appear  from  his 
own  letters.  His  correspondence  with  Samuel 
Ward  from  the  camp  before  Boston  had  given  him 
an  early  view  of  the  dissensions  in  Congress ;  and 
his  official  position,  as  well  as  his  personal  relations 
towards  Washington,  had  given  him  a  distinct  view 
of  the  dilatoriness  of  its  action.  Still,  he  had 
hoped  that  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  by 
pledging  all  to  the  same  cause,  might  lead  to 
greater  harmony  of  sentiment,  and  that  the  ne- 
cessity of  united  exertion  for  sustaining  that  dec- 
laration might  produce  greater  promptness  of 
action.  How  these  hopes  waxed  and  waned  with 
the  fluctuations  of  events  I  have  already  shown, 
wherever  I  have  found  an  expression  of  them  in 
his  letters.     In  1777  they  had  sunk  very  low. 

1  For  the  facts  on  which  these  gen-  ened  enthusiasm  in  spite  of  the  errors 
eralizations  are  founded,  I  must  refer  of  Congress  and  the  shortcomings  of 
to  Washington's  and  Greene's  let-  the  people.  But  for  the  reverence  in- 
ters, to  the  Journals  of  Congress,  and  spired  by  Washington,  the  people 
to  the  contemporary  histories,  which,  would  have  failed  the  Congress  and 
if  I  am  not  greatly  mistaken,  bear  me  Congress  the  people.  But  for  the 
fully  out  in  all  my  positions.  It  is  sustaining  sympathy  of  Greene,  Sul- 
the  greatest  of  all  absurdities  to  rep-  livan^  Schuyler,  Knox,  Hamilton,  the 
resent  the  Revolution  as  the  work  of  two  Morrises,  and  a  few  more,  both 
either  the  people  or  of  Congress ;  it  civilians  and  soldiers,  Washington 
was  the  work  of  a  few  leading  men  would  have  sunk  under  the  burden 
who  inspired  confidence  and  awak-  of  responsibility  and  labor. 


412  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

We  have  alrearl  j  found  him  writing  to  "Washing- 
ton from  Philadelphia,  towards  the  end  of  March : 
"  There  is  so  much  deliberation  and  waste  of  time 
in  the  execution  of  business  before  this  Assembly, 
that  my  patience  is  almost  exhausted.  I  cannot 
get  the  resolve  respecting  the  cartel  passed  so  soon 
as  I  want  it.  I  know  your  delicate  situation,  and 
the  anxiety  you  must  be  under."  For  want  of  this 
cartel,  hundreds  of  gallant  soldiers  were  languish- 
ing in  the  sugar-houses  and  prison-ships  of  New 
York. 

On  the  8th  of  April  Congress  had  passed  a  re- 
solve for  erectino;  monuments  to  Warren  and  Mer- 
cer.  One  had  already  been  voted  to  Montgomery 
on  the  2oth  of  January,  1776.  Greene  welcomes 
the  act  as  wise  and  just.  He  sees  in  it  the  means 
of  binding  the  Congress  and  the  arm}""  more  closely 
together,  and  strengthening  the  influence  of  the 
one  by  increasing  the  confidence  of  the  other. 

"  The  monamcnts,"  he  writes  to  John  Adams  on  the 
2d  of  May,  "  you  are  erecting  to  the  memory  of  the  great 
heroes  Warren,  Montgomery,  and  Mercer  will  be  a  pleas- 
ing circumstance  to  the  army  in  general,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  a  piece  of  justice  due  to  the  bravery  of  the  un- 
fortunate generals.  These  things  are  attended  with  but 
little  expense,  and  have  great  influence.  I  would  beg 
leave  to  propose  another  species  of  honor  to  animate  the 
living  to  great  and  worthy  actions.  Patriotism  is  a 
glorious  principle,  but  never  refuse  her  the  necessary 
aids.  Let  a  number  of  medals  be  struck,  of  dilTerent 
figures  cm!)lematical  of  great  actions,  with  a  motto  ex- 
pressive of  the  same.     Tiicsc  medals  to  be  presented  by 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN.U^L    GREENE.  413 

Congress  to  such  of  the  officers  as  shall  perform  some 
great  and  noble  act,  —  specified  by  some  previous  resolu- 
tion for  that  purpose, —  the  officer  that  claims  it  to  wear 
it  as  a  mark  of  distinction  due  to  his  merit.  These  will 
be  a  species  of  honors  attended  with  no  expense,  and  at 
the  same  time  have  a  great  influence.  Tliey  will  also 
serve  to  fix  the  honors  of  the  army,  dependent  upon  the 
dignity  of  Congress ;  and  I  conceive  it  an  object  of  great 
importance  to   unite  the  wishes  of  the  army  with   the 

views  of  Congress 

"  I  concur  with  you  in  sentiment  as  to  the  pro- 
priety and  necessity  of  taxation.  Had  the  measure  been 
adopted  in  New  England,  instead  of  endeavoring  to  regu- 
late the  prices  of  things,  it  would  have  had  a  much  better 
effect.  You  may  rely  upon  the  army  in  general,  and  me 
in  particular,  doing  everything  in  our  power  to  aid  and 
assist  the  Congress  in  carrying  into  execution  every  ne- 
cessary resolve  as  far  as  our  influence  extends." 

If  he  was  frank  in  condemning  the  errors  of  Con- 
greSvS,  he  was  evidently  no  less  frank  in  acknowl- 
edging its  merits.  Nor  was  he  less  ready  to 
acknowledge   the  vices   of  the  army. 

"  You  lament,"  he  writes  to  the  same  correspondent  on 
the  28tli  of  May,  "  the  general  corruption  of  manners,  and 
the  increase  of  vicious  habits,  that  prevail  in  the  army. 
It  is  a  serious  truth,  and  much  to  be  lamented.  I  know 
of  nothing  that  a  people  can  receive  in  exchange  for  the 
loss  of  their  morals  that  is  an  equivalent.  I  am  sensible 
of  the  force  and  justice  of  your  remarks,  that  the  vices  of 
the  army  prevent  many  from  engaging  in  the  service, 
more  than  the  hardships  and  dangers  attending  it. 

"  I  am  not  one  of  those  fine  gentlemen  who  despises  all 
moral  rectitude  and  religious  duties.     Although  I  am  no 


414  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

eiitluisiast,  nevertheless  I  most  devoutly  believe  in  the  ob- 
servance of  religious  duties." 

lie  had  already  written,  "  The  clergy  are  most 
certainly  useful  and  necessary  in  the  army,  and 
ought  to  be  decently  provided  for." 

Adams,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  chairman  of 
the  Board  of  War:  — 

"  You  say,"  Greene  writes  to  him  on  the  7th  of  May, 
"  your  opinion  is  of  no  consequence  to  the  continent,  and 
you  are  happy  it  is  not.  You  add,  had  you  conceived  the 
conduct  of  our  army,  or  the  defence  against  the  operations 
of  th.e  enemy,  depended  in  any  degree  upon  you,  you 
should  not  have  contented  yourself  with  such  vague  con- 
jectures. I  am  at  a  loss  to  conceive  your  meaning.  Are 
not  the  military  operations  entirely  under  the  direction  of 
Congress  ?  Have  you  not  all  the  information  that  we 
have  respecting  the  enemy's  force  and  ours  ?  Are  you 
not  acquainted  with  the  enemy's  motions,  and  of  ours 
also,  as  early  as  possible  ?  Are  you  not  as  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  consequences  of  this  dispute  as  any  one  man 
in  America  ?  Have  your  constituents  not  a  right  to  ex- 
pect you'll  give  your  counsel  in  every  instance  when  it 
may  be  useful  ?  Would  you  persuade  me  you  are  insen- 
sible of  the  weight  and  influence  your  opinion  hath  in  all 
public  measures  ?  Under  all  these  considerations,  how 
am  I  to  conceive  your  opinion  is  of  no  consequence,  and 
that  you  are  happy  it  is  not  ? 

"  I  readily  agree  with  you  in  sentiment,  that  there  is  no 
one  man,  either  in  the  civil  or  military  line,  of  such 
mighty  consequence  that  the  liberties  of  America  are  de- 
pendent upon  his  will  or  existence.  Yet  tiiere  are  several 
in  both  departments  that  America  might  sensibly  feel  the 
loss  of  at  this  time.     If  I  could  persuade  myself  that  am- 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  415 

bition  was  the  leading  principle,  either  in  the  cabinet  or 
field,  I  would  have  no  further  connection  with  the  dispute  ; 
for  I  feel  the  principle  of  humanity  too  forcibly  to  think 
myself  justifiable  to  sacrifice  the  happiness  of  thousands 
only  for  the  purpose  of  rearing  up  a  few  important  char- 
acters. 

"  I  note  your  observations  upon  a  certain  general,  that 
he  might  be  of  more  importance  to  the  continent  if  he 
thought  himself  of  less.  Your  opinion,  in  this  instance, 
is  very  different  (if  I  remember  right)  from  what  it  was 
last  summer  upon  a  similar  occasion.  Then  you  said  it 
was  necessary  to  think  more  of  ourselves  and  thino;s  less 
impracticable, — this  was  the  way  to  surmount  difficulties. 
Although  I  wish  the  Congress  to  support  their  dignity  in 
every  instance,  yet  I  hope  they  will  carefully  avoid  sport- 
ing with  the  finer  feelings  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  army, 
unless  it  is  necessary  for  the  good  of  the  public  or  to 
support  their  own  dignity, 

"  You  observe  that  prejudice,  caprice,  and  variety  are 
the  common  offspring  of  all  revolutions,  and  that  I  have 
less  to  fear  from  them  than  I  imagine.  These  evils  will 
rather  increase  than  decrease  with  the  confusion  of  the 
times,  and  they  will  rage  in  proportion  as  the  dispute 
grows  more  or  less  doubtful.  If  you  wish  to  establish 
your  own  authority  ;  if  you  wish  to  give  a  proper  tone  to 
every  State  ;  if  you  wish  to  silence  all  the  little  factions 
that  restless  spirits  may  produce  ;  if  you  wish  to  be  feared 
abroad,  and  loved  and  respected  at  home,  —  establish 
your  army  in  its  full  force.  Nothing  can  give  you  so 
much  authority,  weight,  and  dignity  as  an  army  at  your 
command,  superior  to  all  your  foreign  and  domestic  ene- 
mies. The  prospect  of  safety  will  be  a  pleasing  circum- 
stance to  the  people,  and  conciliate  and  reconcile  them 
fully  to  your  administration.  An  army  thus  organized, 
government  fully  established  in  the  respective  States,  the 


41G  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

authority  of  Congress  fully  acknowledged  by  each,  cannot 
fail  of  making  America  both  easy  and  contented  and 
happy  at  home,  and  loved  and  feared  abroad.  Nothing 
can  be  more  mortifying  and  distressing  to  the  feelings  of 
humanity  than  a  long  continuance  of  the  present  calami- 
ties ;  and  more  especially  when  we  consider  that,  by  a 
proper  exertion,  we  may  exterminate  those  hostile  in- 
vaders of  human  happiness  and  the  rights  of  mankind. 
Remember  the  long  war  with  the  United  States,  and  the 
blood  and  treasure  spent  in  that  dispute  for  want  of  a 
proper  exertion  at  first." 

It  is  evident,  from  these  letters,  that  Greene  is  far 
from  claiming  for  the  military  department  powers 
that  belong  to  the  civil  department.  Another  letter 
brings  out  this  fact  in  still  stronger  light :  — 

"  I  have  had  it  hinted  to  me,"  he  says  in  a  letter  of 
the  28th  of  May,  "  that  General  Schuyler  was  about  to 
be  created  President  of  the  Congress,  and  to  hold  his 
military  command  in  the  army.  I  take  this  early  oppor- 
tunity of  expressing  my  abhorrence  of  such  a  measure. 
No  free  people  ought  to  admit  a  junction  of  the  civil  and 
military  ;  and  no  man  of  good  principles  would  ask  it,  or 
ever  accept  of  an  appointment  which  may  be  improved 
by  corruption  to  the  prejudice  and  injury  of  the  rights  of 
a  free  people.  The  best  way  to  guard  against  evil  is  to 
avoid  temptation.  If  General  Schuyler  is  (of)  a  mind 
to  be  in  Congress,  let  him  resign  his  commission,  and  not 
hold  two  offices  so  incompatible  one  with  the  other.  I 
have  no  objection  to  General  Schuyler  as  a  general,  nei- 
ther have  I  to  his  being  President  of  the  Congress,  if  he 
is  thought  to  be  the  most  suitable  person  for  that  impor- 
tant trust.  But  he  must  cease  to  be  a  general  before  he 
commences  a  member  of  Congress.     I  will  not  hold  a 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  417 

commission  under  that  State  who  blends  those  two  char- 
acters together.  I  think  them  incompatible  with  the 
safety  of  a  free  people,  and  I  can  assure  you,  I  am  not 
fighting  for  a  change  of  masters,  but  to  have  none  but  the 
law." 

But  while  he  was  thus  prepared  to  uphold  the 
dignity  of  the  civil  power  he  claimed  the  privilege 
of  freely  animadverting  upon  its  errors. 

"  I  have  no  wish  to  see  such  a  large  proportion  of  im- 
portant offices  in  the  military  department  in  the  hands  of 
foreigners.  I  cannot  help  considering  them  as  so  many 
spies  in  our  camp,^  ready  to  take  their  measures  as  their 
interest  may  direct.  If  foreigners  are  introduced,  their 
command  should  not  be  very  extensive,  then  the  injury 
cannot  be  great,  but  even  in  this  case  it  is  an  injury  to 
America,  for  the  multiplying  foreign  officers  gives  us  no 
internal  strength.  A  good  nursery  of  officers,  nursed  by 
experience,  firmly  attached  to  the  interest  of  the  country, 
is  a  great  security  against  foreign  invaders.  The  only 
tie  that  we  have  upon  foreigners,  is  the  sentiment  of 
honor,  too  slender  for  the  happiness  of  a  country  to  de- 
pend upon,  —  while  officers  created  from  among  the  peo- 
ple are  bound,  not  only  by  the  ties  of  honor,  but  by  that 
of  interest  and  family  connection.  We,  in  many  instances, 
see  the 'power  of  British  gold;  let  us  not  neglect  to 
guard  against  its  influence.  I  have  no  narrow  prejudices 
upon  this  subject,  neither  have  I  any  private  differences 
with  any  of  those  gentlemen.  My  opinion  is  founded 
upon  the  general  conduct  of  mankind." 

1  That  Greene's  view  of  the  real  de  Broglie.      The  remark  does  not 

character  of  many  of  these  men  was  apply,  nor  in  strict  chronology  could 

just,  no  one  can  doubt  who  has  read  it,  to  Lafayette  or  Steuben.     Fleury, 

Duportail's  letter  to  the  French  Min-  Armand,    Kosciusko,    and    Pulaski 

ister,  or  DeKalb's  letters  to  the  Duke  also  belong  to  the  exceptions. 
27 


418  LIFE    OF   NATIL\NAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

On  the  28tli  of  May,  in  the  same  letter  in  which 
he  speaks  so  strongly  of  the  rumored  appointment 
of  Schuyler  to  the  Presidency  of  Congress,  he  re- 
turns again  to  the  subject  of  foreign  officers :  — 

"  I  must  again  repeat  the  impropriety  of  creating  so 
many  foreign  officers.  A  very  considerable  part  of  our 
force  will  get  into  their  hands.  What  method  can  Great 
Britain  take  to  defeat  us  more  effectually  than  to  intro- 
duce a  great  number  of  foreigners  into  the  army,  and 
bind  them  to  their  interest  by  some  very  interesting  con- 
siderations ?  That  this  is  practicable,  nobody  will  doubt. 
That  we  ought  to  guard  against  it,  everybody  must  al- 
low, British  gold  may  reason  forcibly  with  those  whose 
hopes  and  future  expectations  are  not  connected  with  the 
people  they  betray. 

"  I  am  told  by  Captain  Moduit  (Mauduit),  a  French 
gentleman  lately  created  a  captain  in  the  train  of  artil- 
lery, that  one  Du  Coudre  (Coudray)  is  engaged  by  Mr. 
Deane  as  major-general  of  the  train.  The  impropriety  of 
putting  a  foreigner  at  the  head  of  such  a  department 
must  be  obvious  to  everybody :  besides  the  impropriety, 
you  will  deprive  the  army  of  a  most  valuable  officer,  uni- 
versally acknowledged  as  such.  The  exchange  will  be 
much  against  you,  besides  the  injustice  you  will  do  to  a 
man  who  has  served  you  with  fidelity  and  reputation.  I 
beg  you  will  take  it  under  consideration  seasonably.  I 
know  not  the  powers  of  Mr.  Deane,  but  I  think  such  pow- 
ers are  dangerous  and  unfit  to  trust  with  any  man.  If 
this  gentleman  is  to  be  appointed  a  major-general,  I  wish 
it  may  be  of  the  foot  instead  of  the  artillery." 

Washington  was  writing  letters  of  similar  import 
at  the  same  time.^     And  in  a  letter  of  the  4th  of 

1  See  particularly  a  letter  of  May  31st,  to   the  President  of  Congress. 
Sparks,  Vol.  IV.  p.  444. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  419 

June  to  one  of  his  brothers,  Greene  repeats  in  sub- 
stance what  he  had  twice  represented  so  strongly 
to  Mr.  Adams. 

"  God  knows  how  long  this  war  may  last ;  the  want 
of  union  and  virtue  among  the  Americans  may  protract 
it  for  some  time.  We  have  now  a  very  respectable  force 
in  the  field  from  the  southward,  though  not  large.  The 
Eastern  troops  are  very  backward  in  coming  on.  The 
State  of  Pennsylvania  is  in  great  confusion.  The  Qua- 
kers are  poisoning  everybody :  foolish  people  !  The 
Congress  and  1  do  not  agree  in  politics  ;  they  are  intro- 
ducing a  great  many  foreigners.  I  think  it  dangerous  to 
trust  so  large  a  part  of  the  American  army  to  the  com- 
mand of  strangers.  British  gold  is  of  a  poisonous  qual- 
ity, and  the  human  heart  treacherous  to  the  last  de- 
gree. There  are  no  less  than  four  general  officers  of  the 
[French]  nation  now  in  the  American  service.  There  is 
a  French  gentleman  sent  over  by  Mr.  Deane  to  have  the 
command  of  all  the  artillery  in  America.  If  his  appoint- 
ment is  confirmed,  it  "will  rob  us  of  one  of  the  best,  or  at 
least,  as  good  an  officer  as  we  have  in  the  service,  Gen- 
eral Knox.  I  tremble  for  the  consequences,  as  I  fear  it 
"will  ruin  the  "whole  corps,  and  it  is  now  upon  a  very  re- 
spectable footing,  and  increasing  in  perfection  daily. 
Wisdom  and  prudence  sometimes  forsake  the  wisest 
bodies.  I  am  exceedingly  distressed  at  the  state  of  things 
in  the  great  National  Council." 

With  an  opinion  so  decided,  so  evidently  the 
result  of  patient  meditation,  and  so  perfectly  in 
harmony  with  the  opinion  of  Washington,  it  is 
easy  to  conceive  that  he  watched  the  action  of 
Congress  carefully,  and  waited  anxiously  for  the 
result.     He  received  assurances,  it  is  said,  from  Mr. 


420  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

Adams,  that  Deane's  contract  would  not  be  con- 
firmed;^ but  he  received  also,  through  another 
channel  and  from  another  member  of  Congress,  an 
equally  positive  assurance,  not  only  that  Du  Cou- 
dray  had  obtained  the  full  rank  which  that  contract 
assured  him,  but  that  his  commission  was  to  be 
dated  from  the  1st  of  August,  of  the  preceding  year, 
eight  days  earlier  than  his  own.  If  he  had  ap- 
proved of  Knox's  view  of  the  question,  while  as 
yet  it  had  no  apparent  bearing  upon  his  own  rank, 
he  could  not  hesitate  about  the  course  which  self- 
respect  and  consistency  required  of  him,  when  it 
was  thus  unexpectedly  brought  to  his  door.  In 
the  view  of  the  army,  to  be  superseded,  was  to 
be  degraded ;  and,  in  a  position  wholly  dependent 
upon  opinion  for  its  efficiency,  to  be  degraded 
was  to  be  deprived  of  the  power  of  honorable  ex- 
ertion. On  the  1st  of  July,  more  than  a  month 
after  he  had  called  the  attention  of  Mr.  Adams  to 
Du  Coudray's  pretensions,  he  wrote  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  Congress :  — 

"  A  report  is  circulating  here  at  camp,  that  Monsieur 
Du  Coudray,  a  French  gentleman,  is  appointed  a  major- 
general  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  his  rank  to 
commence  from  the  1st  of  last  August ;  if  the  report  be 
true,  it  will  lay  me  under  the  necessity  of  resigning  my 
commission,  as  his  appointment  supersedes  me  in  com- 
mand. I  beg  you  '11  acquaint  me  with  respect  to  the 
truth  of  the  report,  and  if  true,  enclose  me  a  permit  to 
retire." 

1  Life  of  John  Adams,  p.  264. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATH-4JS\\EL    GREENE.  421 

The  same  mail  which  carried  this  letter  carried 
letters  of  the  same  import  from  Sullivan  and 
Knox.  Congress  was  ver}^  f^ngrj?  ^^'^^  after  dis- 
cussing them  Saturday,  July  5th,  resumed  the 
discussion  Monday,  the  Tth ;  and,  "  unanimously  " 
resolved :  — 

"  That  the  President  transmit  to  General  Washington 
copies  of  the  letters  from  Generals  Sullivan,  Greene,  and 
Knox  to  Congress,  with  directions  to  him  to  let  those 
officers  know  that  Congress  consider  the  said  letters  as  an 
attempt  to  influence  their  decisions,  an  invasion  of  the 
liberties  of  the  people,  and  indicating  a  want  of  confi- 
dence in  the  justice  of  Congress  ;  that  it  is  expected  by- 
Congress  the  said  officers  will  make  proper  acknowledg- 
ments for  an  interference  of  so  dangerous  a  tendency; 
but  if  any  of  those  officers  are  unwilling  to  serve  their 
country,  under  the  authority  of  Congress,  they  shall  be 
at  liberty  to  resign  their  commissions  and  retire."  ^ 

John  Adams,  it  is  supposed  by  his  biographer, 
was  the  author  of  this  resolution ;  ^  and,  not  con- 
tent with  this,  he  wrote  Greene  a  private  letter, 
"placing  before  him  at  once,"  says  the  same  au- 
thority, "  the  alternative  of  withdrawing  his  act 
or  of  giving  in  his  resignation."  How  Greene 
viewed  Adams's  letter  I  have  no  positive  means 
of  ascertaining.  Mr.  C.  F.  Adams  says,  "  Greene 
never  answered  Mr.  Adams's  private  letter,  nor  did 
he  resume  the  correspondence."  ^  The  correspond- 
ence, it  is  true,  was  dropped  somewhere  about  this 
time :  and  it  is  not  till  the  28th   of  January,  1782, 

1  See  Journals   of  Congress   ad  ^  Life  of  John  Adams,  p.  264. 

diem.  ^  Ibid.,  p.  265. 


422  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE,  [1777. 

that  I  again  find  liini  writing  to  Mr.  Adams.  But 
in  that  letter,  which  was  an  answer  to  a  letter  of 
Mr.  Adams,  introducing  the  Count  de  Noailles,  and 
expressing  a  desire  to  renew  their  correspondence, 
he  not  only  says,  ''  the  correspondence  had  been 
dropped  from  your  disinclination  and  not  mine," 
but  attributes  that  disinclination  to  "  prejudices " 
which  Adams  "  had  let  in  to  my  disadvantage,  such 
as  my  being  more  influenced  by  men  than  meas- 
ures, and  that  in  the  field  I  had  neither  activity 
nor  enterprise.  However  mortifying  these  things 
were,  my  pride  would  not  permit  me  to  undeceive 
you."  Now,  unless  we  suppose  Greene's  memory 
to  have  been  singularly  at  fault,  we  must  lay  the 
interruption  of  the  correspondence  to  Mr.  Adams, 
and  not  to  him ;  and,  consequently,  must  suppose 
that  he  did  answer  the  letter  in  which  his  some- 
what arrogant  correspondent  undertook  to  instruct 
him  in  the  law  of  duty  and  honor.  What  the 
tone  of  that  answer  was  likely  to  be  may  be  con- 
jectured from  his  letter  of  the  19th  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  Congress,  acknowledging  the  communica- 
tion of  the  angry  resolve  of  the  7th :  — 

"  His  Excellency  has  communicated  to  me  a  resolution 
of  Congress,  of  the  7th  inst.,  founded  upon  three  letters 
from  the  Generals  Sullivan,  Knox,  and  myself,  relative 
to  Mr.  Du  Coud ray's  supposed  appointment,  agreeable  to 
the  contract  between  him  and  Mr.  Deane. 

"  I  confess  that  it  was  matter  of  infinite  surprise  to  me 
that  an  interpretation  of  so  deep  a  complexion  should 
have  been  put  upon  a  meaning  so  innocent  and  inoffensive 


• 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  423 

as  that  contained  in  those  letters.  Nor  can  I  be  per- 
suaded but  that  Congress,  upon  a  dispassionate  review  of 
the  matter,  will  readily  perceive  that  they  have  embraced 
ideas  by  no  means  deducible  from  anything  we  have 
done ;  and  will  in  justice  recall  a  censure  equally  severe, 
unmerited,  and  injurious.  It  is  a  fact  well  known,  that 
Mr.  Deane,  a  public  envoy  from  these  States,  did  make 
a  contract  with  Mr.  Du  Coudray  investing  him  with  the 
supreme  command  of  the  artillery,  and  the  rank  of  major- 
general  from  the  1st  of  August  last ;  this  contract  I 
verily  believed  the  Congress  had  con6rmed  and  ratified. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  mention  the  reasons  that  induced 
that  belief;  but  what  seemed  to  stamp  it  with  infallible 
certainty  was  a  letter  from  a  member  of  Congress  to 
that  import,  who  might  be  supposed  to  speak  the  sense  of 
that  body. 

"  We  could  not  possibly  divine  the  secret  intentions  of 
Congress ;  and  could  only  judge  from  appearances  and 
circumstances  of  common  notoriety,  which  concurred  to 
establish  the  idea  that  prevailed.  On  the  supposition  that 
I  was  superseded  by  Mr.  Du  Coudray,  could  my  feelings 
and  determination  be  any  other  than  what  they  there  ap- 
peared ?  And  can  it  be  said  that  I  had  not  competent 
ground  for  making  that  supposition  ?  Its  not  having 
been  at  once  openly  announced  by  Congress  is  no  objec- 
tion to  it,  for  this  was  ascribed  to,  and  might  have  pro- 
ceeded from,  motives  of  delicacy ;  for  although  reasons  of 
policy  might  demand  the  sacrifice,  and  necessity  urge  the 
measure,  yet  that  delicacy  would  dictate  the  propriety 
that  the  knowledge  of  it  should  come  to  me  through  a 
different  and  more  indirect  channel. 

"  I  see  not  how  similar  applications  to  Congress  from 
three  officers,  equally  interested  in  the  same  event,  and 
consequently  speaking  the  same  language,  on  a  principle 
so  natural,  and  so  well  supported  as  that  which  actuated 


424  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENR  [1777. 

US,  could  be  deemed  a  combination,  or  construed  into  an 
attempt  to  '  influence  their  discussions,  an  invasion  of 
the  liberties  of  the  people,  and  indicating  a  want  of 
confidence  in  the  justice  of  Congress.'  Did  I  not  know 
it  to  be  the  case,  I  could  not  imagine  tliat  these  ex- 
pressions had  not  other  foundation  than  merely  a  request 
(from  officers  who  had  reason  to  believe  themselves  su- 
perseded), to  be  permitted  to  retire,  on  condition  it 
should  be  so  ;  how  could  this  be  considered  as  an  attempt 
to  influence  their  decisions?  For  my  own  part,  I  shall 
retire  from  the  service  without  a  single  murmur,  when 
the  interest  or  happiness  of  my  country  demands  so  ne- 
cessary a  sacrifice.  I  trust  the  Congress  in  all  their  acts 
have  an  eye  to  the  common  good,  and  never  do  violence  to 
the  feelings  of  individuals,  but  where  necessity  sanctifies 
the  measure.  To  refuse  a  person  liberty  to  retire  in  this 
situation  would  be  cruel  and  unjust.  I  do  not  hold  my 
character  as  an  officer  in  such  high  estimation  as  to  think 
that  declaring  my  intention  to  resign  could  have  any 
effect  upon  the  determination  of  Congress,  especially  in  a 
matter  in  which  't  is  to  be  supposed  they  act  either  from 
national  views  of  policy,  or  from  a  preference  to  superior 
merit.  Neither  am  I  disposed  to  enter  into  any  unlawful 
combination  to  do  myself  private  justice,  however  great 
ray  injuries,  real  or  imaginary.  In  the  present  case  my 
situation  was  rendered  ineligible  ;  my  feelings  as  a  soldier 
forbid  my  holding  a  command  that  was  linked  with 
evident  signs  of  personal  degradation.  I  had  no  con- 
ception tliat  an  application  founded  upon  a  supposed 
event  could  either  be  afli-ontive  to  the  delicacy  or  dignity 
of  tlie  governors  of  a  free  people  ;  and,  therefore,  am 
persuaded  my  meaning  and  intentions  must  have  been 
wliolly  mistaken. 

"  Whatever  influence  I  could  have  must  be  in  propor- 
tion  to  the  importance  of  my  military  character ;  take 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  425 

this  away,  and  I  stand  upon  the  footing  of  a  common 
citizen  ;  and  it  seems  to  me  somewhat  extraordinary, 
that  an  offer  to  lay  that  aside  should  be  deemed  to  import 
such  dangerous  consequences  as  are  imputed  to  it.  I 
did  not  complain  of  any  injustice,  demand  reparation  for 
any  injury,  but  simply  state  the  information  I  received, 
and  ask  permission  to  retire  if  it  was  true.  The  question 
of  right  is  entirely  untouched. 

"  There  are  often  weighty  motives  for  superseding 
officers  of  whatever  rank,  and  this  might  possibly  have 
been  the  case  in  what  I  thought  had  happened,  so  that 
the  supposition  did  not  by  any  necessary  implication  im- 
peach the  justice  of  Congress ;  but  as  I  was  not  acquaint- 
ed with  these  reasons,  and  perhaps  could  hardly  be 
brought  to  feel  their  force  if  I  was,  I  only  declared  my 
wish  to  conform  to  those  maxims  universally  "established 
among  civilized  nations,  and  necessary  to  be  upheld  in 
the  military  line,  and  to  relinquish  a  station  which  I 
could  no  longer  fill  with  satisfaction  or  honor  to  myself. 
I  might  add  much  to  show  that  my  letter  does  not  war- 
rant the  construction  put  upon  it ;  but  't  is  a  subject 
of  a  delicate  nature,  and  will  not  admit  of  a  free  dis- 
cussion. 

"  With  respect  to  that  part  of  the  resolution  which 
declares  '  that  if  any  of  those  officers  are  unwilling  to 
serve  their  country,  under  the  authority  of  Congress,  he 
shall  have  liberty  to  retire,'  I  answer  that  I  have  all 
the  respect  for  Congress  a  free  citizen  ought  to  have  for 
the  representatives  of  himself  and  the  collective  body  of 
the  people,  and  that  it  is  my  glory  and  happiness  to  serve 
my  country,  under  the  authority  of  those  delegated  by 
her  to  direct  her  councils  and  support  her  interests.  I 
have  not  a  single  thought  or  wish  inconsistent  with  this ; 
but  at  the  same  time,  I  as  freely  answer  that  I  esteem  it 
my  duty  to  do  it  in  a  manner  most  compatible  with  the 


426  LIFE    OF    NATHAN,\EL    GREENE.  [1777. 

dignity  of  the  man,  the  citizen,  and  that  of  a  soldier, 
while  I  sustain  the  character ;  and  will  immediately  re- 
nounce any  station  in  which  I  cannot  act  with  honor, 
and  have  recourse  to  that  in  which  I  can  flatter  myself  I 
shall  always  be  ambitious  of,  the  character  of  a  useful 
and  good  member  of  society.  In  my  military  capacity, 
I  have  and  will  serve  my  country  to  the  utmost  of  my 
ability  while  I  hold  it,  but  I  am  determined  to  hold  it 
not  a  moment  longer  than  I  can  do  it  unsullied  and  un- 
violated." 

"  A  letter  of  the  19th,  from  General  Greene,  and  one 
of  the  same  date  from  Joseph  Trumbull,  were  read,"  says 
the  Journal  of  Congress  for  the  23d  of  July,  "  Ordered, 
To  lie  on  the  table." 

"  Your  letter  of  the  8th  was  duly  received,"  writes 
Washington  to  the  President  of  Congress,  on  the  12th  of 
July  ;  "  and,  agreeably  to  your  request,  I  communicated 
to  Generals  Greene  and  Knox  the  resolution  of  Congress 
respecting  them  and  General  Sullivan,  the  last  of  whom 
I  have  not  seen  since  it  came  to  hand."  ^ 

No  further  allusion  to  the  subject  occurs,  as 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  either  in 
the  Journals  of  Congress  or  in  the  private  cor- 
respondence of  the  three  generals.  To  Washing- 
ton it  is  not  probable  that  Greene  communicated 
either  of  his  letters,  for  while  he  could  entertain 
no  doubt  of  Washington's  opinion  as  a  soldier,  he 
had  too  much  respect  and  consideration  for  his 
position  as  commander-in-chief  to  ask  for  a  posi- 
tive expression  of  it  upon  so  delicate  an  occasion. 
What  Washington  thought  his  own  letters  show ; 

1  Journals  of  Congress  ad  diem.     Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  IV.  p.  490. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  427 

and,  in  weighing  all  the  evidence,  it  seems  more 
than  probable  that  Congress  was  upon  the  point  of 
committing  a  great  injustice,  and  doing  a  very  un- 
wise and  arbitrary  act.  As  it  was,  on  the  very  day 
on  which  it  passed  its  angry  resolution  it  voted  an 
advance  of  a  thousand  dollars  to  Du  Coudray ;  and 
it  was  not  until  the  question  had  been  many  days  in 
the  hands  of  a  committee,  and  several  times  before 
the  House  in  committee  of  the  whole,  that  a  final 
decision  was  reached.  Instead  of  giving  him  the 
command  of  all  the  artillery,  it  was  resolved : 
"  That  Mons.  Du  Coudray  be  appointed  inspector- 
general  of  ordnance  and  military  manufactories, 
with  the  rank  of  major-general."  ^ 

1  Journals  of  Congress,  Monday,  Aug.  11,  1777. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

American  Army  on  the  Banks  of  the  Delaware.  —  Perplexed  by 
Howe's  Movements. —  Different  Opinions  about  them.  —  Uneasiness 
caused  by  the  Evacuation  of  Ticonderoga.  —  Glimpse  of  Inner  Life. 
—  Schuyler  and  New  England  Officers.  —  Letters  and  Extracts.  — 
Council  of  War.  —  Lafayette.  —  Army  on  the  Point  of  Moving 
Northward.  —  Howe  in  Chesapeake  Bay.  —  American  Army 
marches  Southward.  —  March  through  Philadelphia.  —  "Washington 
Reconnoitring.  —  Camp  at  Red  Clay  Creek.  —  Greene  condemns 
the  Position.  —  Henry  Lee.  —  Army  at  Chad's  Ford.  —  Battle  of 
the  Brandywine. 

^Y^T^E  left  the  Americans  once  more  on  the  banks 
^  ^  of  the  Delaware.  It  is  easy  to  imagine  how 
the  old  soldiers  felt  as  they  looked  upon  the  scene 
of  their  winter  sufferings  and  victory,  —  orchards 
laden  with  fruit,  fields  almost  ripe  for  the  sickle, 
where  they  had  left  ice  and  snow ;  men  and  wom- 
en at  their  daily  work,  and  children  merrily 
playing  in  the  streets  and  at  the  cottage  doors, 
where  they  had  left  an  insolent  enemy  in  all  the 
pride  and  all  the  terrors  of  war.  How  eagerly 
must  they  have  pointed  out  the  sites  of  every  in- 
cident to  their  new  companions.  Here  we  strug- 
gled with  the  ice.  Here  we  landed.  On  that  spot 
Washington  mounted  his  horse.  It  was  there  that 
Sullivan  struck  into  the  river  road ;  and  Greene 
filed  off  to  the  left.     At  this  hour,  and  just  as  day 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  429 

was  breaking,  we  found  a  man  chopping  wood,  and 
learned  from  him  where  to  look  for  the  guard. 
Down  that  street  we  fired  and  charo-ed,  and  in  this 
orchard  the  Hessians  laid  down  their  arms.  It  is 
easy,  too,  to  conceive  that  neither  Washington  nor 
Greene  could  approach  these  scenes  without  a 
grateful  swelling  of  the  heart,  and  renewed  con- 
fidence in  the  justice  of  their  cause. 
But  still  all  was  uncertainty  and  doubt. 

"  General  Howe's  in  a  manner  abandoning  General 
Burgoyne,"  writes  Washington  to  Gates,  from  Coryell's 
Ferry  on  the  30th,  "  is  so  unaccountable  a  matter  that, 
till  I  am  fully  assured  it  is  so,  I  cannot  help  casting  my 
eyes  continually  behind  me."  ^ 

The  next  day  brought  intelligence  that  wore  an 
air  of  certainty,  —  the  fleet  was  at  the  capes  of  the 
Delaware.  Washington  and  Greene  would  have 
still  waited  for  more  positive  information ;  but  the 
pressure  from  without  was  so  strong,  that  it  was 
decided  to  advance  still  nearer  to  Philadelphia  and 
take  quarters  at  Germantown.^  And  here  Wash- 
ington writes  to  his  brother  on  the  5th  of  Au- 
gust :  — 

"  We  have  remained  in  a  very  irksome  state  of  sus- 
pense ;  some  imagining  that  they  are  gone  to  the  south- 
ward, whilst  a  majority,  in  whose  opinion  upon  this  oc- 
casion I  concur,  are  satisfied  that  they  are  gone  to  the 
eastward."  ^  "  We  are  yet  entirely  in  the  dark,"  he 
writes  to  Putnam  on  the   7th,  and  orders   "  the  heavy 

^  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.  8.         ^  Sparks,  w<  sup. 
2  Ibid.  p.  21,  and  Greene  to  Var- 
num,  inf. 


430  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

baggage  of  the  army  to  be  thrown  over  the  Delaware 
acraiii "  ;  and  holds  "  the  men  in  constant  readiness  to 
march  the  moment  we  receive  any  accounts  of  the 
enemy."  ^ 

Still.  "  casting  his  eyes "  anxiously  behind,  he 
put  his  army  once  more  in  motion  for  Coryell's 
Ferry ;  and  once  more  the  fleet  was  seen,  and 
again  an  express  came,  booted  and  spurred,  from 
Congress  with  the  tidings.  The  army  halts  at  the 
Cross-roads  in  Buck's  County,  waiting  anxiously, 
curiously  perhaps,  to  see  how  all  these  conflicting 
movements  will  end.  Time  lags  heavily,  and  all 
grow  impatient  for  a  decision. 

"  We  have  been  in  and  about  the  city  of  Philadelphia 
for  near  a  fortnight  past,"  Greene  writes  to  a  brother  on 
the  11th  of  August,  from  the  camp  at  the  Cross-roads, 
"  ignorant  of  General  Howe's  destination.  I  hope  it  will 
not  be  against  New  England,  but  I  have  my  fears.  We 
were  marching  towards  Coryell's  Ferry  from  the  city, 
expecting  the  fleet  was  gone  eastwardly,  when,  by  an  ex- 
press from  the  President  of  Congress,  last  night,  we 
learned  that  the  fleet  are  bound  westwardly.  I  wish  it 
may  be  true.  It  was  said  that  two  hundred  sail  were 
seen  off  the  coast  between  Delaware  and  Chesapeake 
bays  ;  but  I  doubt  the  intelligence,  for  I  cannot  per- 
suade myself  that  General  Burgoyne  would  dare  to  push 
with  such  rapidity  towards  Albany,  if  he  did  not  expect 
support  from  General  Howe." 

Meanwhile  one  of  the  daily  topics  of  conversa- 
tion in  camp,  and  at  head-quarters,  was  the  army  in 
Canada. 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.  24. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  431 

"  You  must  learn  to  be  a  philosopher,"  Greene  writes 
to  a  brother,  from  whom  he  had  received  a  desponding 
letter ;  "  to  behold  misfortunes  without  repining,  limit 
the  passions,  the  appetites,  and  desires  to  the  state  of  the 
body,  and  the  necessity  of  the  times.  However  un- 
fortunate things  may  appear,  let  us  console  ourselves 
with  reflecting  that  the  greatest  good  often  springs  out 
of  what  we  consider  as  the  worst  of  evils.  General 
Burgoyne's  triumphs  and  little  advantages  may  serve  to 
bait  his  vanity,  and  lead  him  on  to  his  total  ruin.  This 
is  not  improbable  when  we  consider  the  temper  of  the 
human  heart,  the  history  of  mankind,  and  the  dispensa- 
tions of  Divine  Providence  upon  the  rise  and  fall  of  men 
and  kingdoms.  The  campaign  opened  with  a  very  fortu- 
nate train  of  circumstances.  General  Howe  was  foiled 
in  all  his  manoeuvres,  and  disgraced  in  every  move- 
ment. Our  success  was  equal  to  our  utmost  wishes. 
The  Northern  department  has  brought  disgrace  upon  the 
American  arms,  and  a  cloud  over  New  England.  But 
even  all  these  misfortunes  may  be  a  necessary  prelude  to 
General  Burgoyne's  final  overthrow.  I  agree  with  you, 
that  there  is  something  very  mysterious  in  conducting 
the  military  operations  to  the  northward.  There  must 
have  been  a  want  of  judgment  in  the  choice  of  the  posts 
and  extent  of  the  works,  or  some  great  negligence  in 
fairly  representing  the  true  state  of  things.  "We  were 
all  led  to  believe  the  situation  of  the  place  so  strong  by 
nature,  and  so  improved  by  art,  that  the  garrison  was 
sufficient  to  defend  itself  against  any  number  that  might 
be  brought  against  it.  Whatever  may  be  the  source  of 
the  misfortune,  it  is  not  owing  to  cowardice.  I  have 
been  with  General  St.  Clair  in  two  actions,  and  know 
him  to  be  a  man  of  bravery  ;  and  it  is  agreed  on  all 
hands,  that  the  garrison  was  in  high  health,  and  full  of 
spirits,  and  left  the  place  with  great  reluctance.     Charity 


432  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

obliges  me  to  suspend  my  opinion  until  there  is  a  fair  and 
candid  inquiry  made  into  the  cause  of  the  evacuation  of 
Ticonderoga  ;  and  if  it  was  necessary  to  evacuate  it,  why 
it  had  not  been  done  earlief.  If  the  stores  and  garrison 
had  been  saved,  tlie  loss  of  the  place  would  have  been 
inconsiderable." 

His  brother's  letter  contained  gloomy  pictures 
of  the  condition  of  the  country,  and  the  spirit  of 
the  people.  Greene  takes  a  wiser  and  calmer  view 
of  things  :  — 

"  You  lament  the  ruin  of  trade,  the  depreciation  of 
money,  and  the  discontent  of  the  people  are  so  many 
sure  marks  of  the  downfall  of  our  cause.  'T  is  true  our 
trade  is  greatly  injured ;  but  remember,  whilst  it  rains 
upon  us  the  sun  does  not  shine  upon  them.  Oar  trade 
is,  perhaps,  not  more  injured  than  theirs ;  we  must 
balance  accounts  in  national  suffering.  If  the  diminu- 
tion of  their  force  and  resources  equal  our  misfortunes 
and  losses,  then  we  are  not  sufferers  on  the  great  scale  of 
national  gain.  The  depreciation  of  money  is  rather  a 
temporary  and  in  some  respects  a  local  evil.  The  in- 
crease of  trade,  and  a  proper  attention  to  taxation,  will 
soon  correct  the  evil.  The  army  are  the  greatest  suf- 
ferers. All  the  other  parts  of  the  community  regulate 
their  conduct  and  prices  by  one  another.  But  the  wages 
of  the  army  arc  fixed  and  unchangeable.  There  is  a 
fund  of  hard  money  now  establishing  in  Europe  sufficient 
to  pay  the  interest  of  all  our  loans.  This  cannot  fail  of 
establishing  the  credit  of  the  money  abroad  and  at 
home.  This  is  a  good  piece  of  policy.  The  discontent 
of  the  people  is  not  greater  than  is  to  be  expected  in 
every  revolution,  when  robbed  of  the  blessings  of  peace 
and  plenty,  and  forced  into  a  long,  and  distressing  war 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  433 

to  obtain  some  future  advantage,  that  they  have  but  an 
indistinct  conception  of.  I  have  no  doubt  of  a  happy- 
issue,  although  we  may  experience  many  calamities  in 
the  course  of  the  dispute." 

Shall  I  brino^  another  side-lio-ht  of  domestic  feel- 
ing  into  this  self-drawn  picture  of  the  statesman 
and  soldier  ? 

''  You  distress  me  exceedingly,"  he  continues,  "  in 
committing  to  my  charge  the  care  of  your  family.  God 
grant  you  may  long  live  to  discharge  the  duty  yourself. 
I  feel  the  force  of  brotherly  affection  equally  strong  with 
yourself.  I  have  been  equally  happy  in  our  mutual 
good  understanding.  The  sweet  pleasures  of  social  fel- 
lowship have  ever  been  one  of  the  greatest  sources  of  my 
happiness.  Few  misfortunes  in  life,  however  tender  my 
other  connections  may  be,  could  equal  the  loss.  Although 
I  should  esteem  this  charge  one  of  my  greatest  misfor- 
tunes, yet  I  trust  I  should  discharge  my  duty  to  the  sur- 
vivors of  the  family  with  such  a  brotherly  affection  as  to 
leave  no  cause  of  a  blush  when  we  meet  in  another  world. 
But  heaven  avert  so  great  an  evil  to  them  and  to  me,  and 
grant  you  long  life  and  better  health  shall  be  my  constant 
prayer." 

And  Heaven  heard  the  prayer ;  and  of  his  five 
brothers,  all  survived  him  many  years,  —  one  of 
them  nearly  a  half-century,  down  to  my  early 
manhood. 

I  have  spoken  wdth  a  natural  pride  of  Greene's 
having  himself  inoculated  during  his  first  visit  to 
New  York,  in  spite  of  the  prejudices  against  it 
which  had  taken  such  m  hold  of  the  common 
mind.     I  find  a  record  of  another  common  preju- 

28 


434  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREEiNE.  [1777. 

dice  which  he  did  not  escape,  and  trifle  as  it  may 
seem,  I  record  it,  for  such  thinsrs  are  essential  to 
the  truth  of  my  portrait.  He  was  told  that  his  lit- 
tle daughter  was  "  marked  with  port  w^ine." 

"  Be  pleased,"  he  writes,  "  to  send  some  to  the  nurse 
and  direct  her  to  wash  the  part  and  give  the  child  a  lit- 
tle. This,  however  simple  it  may  appear,  has  been  often 
known  to  remove  the  marks." 

Such  were  some  of  the  thoughts  that  followed 
him  to  his  tent,  mingling  with  official  duties  and 
filling  the  heavy  hours  of  protracted  expectation. 
In  every  letter  the  same  questions  recur.  Where 
is  Howe  ?  Where  is  Burgoyne  ?  How  long  are 
we  to  remain  here  idly  waiting  the  development  of 
events  ?  "  You  are  very  much  mistaken  about  the 
destination  of  Sir  William  being  known  before  yours 
reached  me,"  he  writes  to  General  Varnum  on  the 
14th. 

"  I  am  totally  ignorant  yet.  This  manoeuvre  of  Gen- 
eral Howe  is  so  strange  and  unaccountable  that  it  ex- 
ceeds all  conjecture.  General  Burgoyne's  rapid  marches 
into  the  country  is  a  strong  proof  to  me  that  he  expects 
to  be  supported  from  some  other  quarter.  This  leads  me 
to  conclude  that  General  Howe's  designs  are  ultimately 
against  New  England,  notwithstanding  his  eccentric 
movements.  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  are  so  well  prepared 
to  defend  the  Uiglilands.  I  fear  the  obstructions  in  the 
river  will  scarcely  prove  sufficient  to  check  the  enemy's 
progress  with  their  ships.  Your  observations  are  very 
just  respecting  General  Scliuyler  ;  if  he  has  lost  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people,  his  talents  will  be  useless.  The 
Congress  were  made  sensible  of  that  and  have  appointed 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  435 

General  Gates  to  the  command.  I  hope  he  will  succeed 
better.  I  think  it  an  object  of  the  first  importance  to 
give  a  check  to  Burgoyne,  and  the  very  plan  you  men- 
tion has  often  been  proposed  both  with  respect  to  Bur- 
goyne and  New  York.-  Philadelphia  is  the  American 
Diana,  she  must  be  preserved  at  all  events.  There  is 
great  attention  paid  to  this  city  ;  it  is  true  it  is  one  of  the 
finest  upon  the  continent,  but  in  my  opinion  is  an  object 
of  far  less  importance  than  the  North  River.  Our  posi- 
tion in  the  Jerseys  was  calculated  to  cover  the  North 
River  and  Pliiladelphia,  and  afford  protection  to  the  State 
of  New  Jersey,  but  the  cry  was  so  great  for  the  salvation 
of  Philadelphia  that  the  General  was  prevailed  upon  to 
leave  Coryell's  Ferry,  contrary  to  his  judgment,  and 
march  down  to  the  city,  and  I  expect  to  have  our  labors 
for  our  pains.  We  are  now  within  about  twenty  miles  of 
the  city,  waiting  to  get  better  information.  There  have 
been  several  expresses  from  Sinepuxent,  an  inlet  about 
half-way  between  Delaware  and  Chesapeake  Bay,  who 
confidently  assert  the  fleet  has  been  seen  off  there  for  sev- 
eral days ;  but  I  cannot  credit  it.  I  shall  mention  to  the 
General  the  Rhode  Island  troops  are  without  commis- 
sions, and  also  the  detachment  that  is  detained  at  Rhode 
Island  contrary  to  your  orders." 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  manner  in  which  Greene 
speaks  of  Schuyler's  removal  from  the  command  * 
of  the  Northern  army  that  he  approved  of  it  as  a 
necessary  act  of  policy  at  that  critical  moment  of 
our  fortunes.  Schuyler's  talent  and  patriotism  he 
does  not  call  in  question,  but  he  does  question  the 
propriety  of  giving  him  the  command  of  men  to 
whom  he  w^as  personally  unacceptable.  The  North- 
ern army  was  composed  chiefly  of  New  England 


436  LIFE    OF   NATH.\NAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

men,  and  an  eyewitness  tells  us  that,  believing  the 
New  England  officers  to  be  "  a  disgrace  to  their 
stations,  Schuyler  was  at  no  pains  to  conceal  the 
extreme  contempt  he  felt  for  them."  -^  However 
unfit  for  their  stations  many  of  these  men  may 
have  been,  they  were  officers  like  him,  they  held 
their  commissions  by  the  same  title  with  him,  it  was 
throuiz:h  them  that  his  orders  reached  the  common 
soldier,  and  it  was  as  much  if  not  more  to  them 
than  to  him  that  the  common  soldier  looked  for 
the  indulgences  that  contributed  to  his  comfort,  and 
the  direction  that  made  him  useful.  Justice  as  well 
as  policy  demanded  a  recognition  of  these  claims, 
Schuyler  did  not  recognize  them,  and  New  Eng- 
land men  could  not  persuade  themselves  that  the 
man  who  in  his  official  intercourse  with  them  could 
not  command  his  own  "peevishness"^  was  qualified 
to  command  them.  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  an 
army  of  citizens,  contending  for  their  rights  as 
citizens,  could  come  to  any  other  conclusion. 

It  would  appear,  moreover,  that  Schuyler's 
claims  had  been  enforced  by  his  friends  with  some 
degree  of  the  haughtiness  which  he  displayed  in 
his  intercourse  with  his  New  Eno-land  officers. 


o 


"  General  Schuyler,"  Greene  writes  to  John  Adams  on 
the  5tli  of  April,  "  is  going  to  Congress  armed  with  the 
imperial  cohorts  of  New  York,  to  support  the  assertion 

1  Gravdon's  Memoirs  of  his  own  asked  to  sit  nor  to  take  a  glass  of 

Time,  p.  143.  wine,  and  after  announcing  his  wants, 

'  "  He,"    a  New  England  officer  was  dismissed  with  that  peevishness 

who  came  on  husiness  while  the  Gen-  of  tone  we  apply  to  a  low  and  vexa- 

eral   was    at    dinner,    "was   neither  tious  intruder."  —  Graydon,  p.  144. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  437 

that  the  Northern  operations  depend  entirely  upon  his  be- 
ing continued  in  the  command  :  a  dispassionate  inquiry, 
perhaps,  may  convince  you  of  his  usefulness  ;  if  not,  it 
will  afford  you  an  opportunity  to  convince  the  State  of 
New  York  that  the  salvation  of  America  don't  depend 
upon  the  political  sentiments  of  Albany  County." 

It  is  not  impossible  that,  with  all  Greene's  study 
to  overcome  it,  some  tinge  of  sectional  feeling  may 
have  lent  its  coloring  to  his  judgment  upon  this 
occasion,  just  as  it  tinged  Washington's  judgment 
of  New  England  in  '75.  Neither  is  it  impossible 
that  he  may  have  regarded  the  enforcement  of 
Schuyler's  claims  as  a  sectional  question  in  itself, 
and  consequently  as  tending  to  foster  a  spirit 
which  it  was  a  duty  to  suppress.  However  this 
may  be,  his  personal  relations  with  Schuyler, 
though  never  intimate,  were  always  pleasant.  In 
April  he  wrote  :  — 

"  General  Schuyler  thinks,  with  me,  that  it  will  be  ex- 
ceeding difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  the  enemy  to  pene- 
trate the  country  by  the  way  of  Ticonderoga." 

And  in  August,  while  justifying  the  policy  of 
Schuyler's  removal,  he  leaves  his  talent  and  patriot> 
ism  unquestioned.  When  the  whole  history  of  the 
campaign  became  known,  he  probably  regretted 
that  the  New  York  general  was  not  permitted  to 
gather  the  laurels  which  he  had  so  diligently  sown. 
But  now  he  could  only  judge  from  facts  apparently 
established,  though  not  explained,  and  these  were 
of  a  nature  to  awaken  serious  doubts  and  still  more 
serious  anxiety. 


438  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

Meanwliile    summer  was  passing,  and  the  cam- 
paign hardly  begun. 

"  I  readily  acknowledge  the  propriety  of  your  observa- 
tion," Greene  writes  to  General  Yarnum  from  the  Cross- 
roads on  the  17th,  "  that  delays  are  dangerous,  and  that 
the  prime  of  the  season  is  wasting  while  we  are  basking 
in  the  sunshine  of  Pennsylvania,  but  repentance  often 
comes  too  late.  Could  we  have  divined  how  General 
Howe  would  have  directed  his  future  operations,  some 
part  of  your  plan  might  have  been  carried  into  execution. 
The  destruction  of  General  Burgoyne's  army  is  one  of  the 
first  objects  upon  the  continent;  but  how  to  effect  it  is 
the  question.  You  see  he  moves  with  caution,  notwith- 
standing our  army  flies  before  him.  It  is  near  a  month 
since  he  landed  at  Skenesborough.  His  advance  parties 
have  advanced  only  about  twenty  or  thirty  miles,  and 
nothing,  or  next  to  nothing,  to  oppose  him.  Sure  I  am  he 
never  would  have  dared  to  penetrate  an  inch  if  he  had 
met  with  a  serious  opposition.  It  is  said  our  troops  are 
panic-struck  :  this  is  strange  ;  they  have  met  with  no 
misfortune.  I  am  confident  if  there  is  a  formidable  force 
collected  under  the  command  of  General  Gates,  that 
Burgojne  never  leaves  sight  of  his  shipping.  His  retreat 
is  secure  while  he  has  the  command  of  South  Bay  ;  in  that 
situation  he  will  rest  luiless  he  can  bring  over  a  great 
part  of  the  country  to  join  him.  How  that  might  en- 
courage him  I  cannot  pretend  to  say.  Could  I  persuade 
myself  that  Burgoyne  would  not  retreat  upon  the  North- 
ern army's  being  reinforced,  I  would  run  all  hazards  to 
attempt  his  obstruction.  But  I  am  well  persuaded  he 
would  retreat  immediately  to  Ticonderoga  ;  where  it 
would  be  out  of  our  power  to  do  him  any  great  injury. 
I  wish  the  party  that  is  coming  by  the  German  flats  would 
be  defeated  ;  I  am  much  afraid  of  the  consequences  of 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  439 

their  successes :  the  disaffected  people  joined  by  the 
Indians  will  render  that  a  troublesome  neighborhood. 
There  is  a  corps  of  riflemen  detached  to  combat  these  In- 
dians, under  the  command  of  Colonel  Morgan. 

"  I  am  under  no  apprehensions  about  the  troops  at 
Rhode  Island,  unless  they  are  joined  by  General  Howe's 
forces  ;  they  are  as  innocent  and  harmless  as  can  be  ex- 
pected. The  greatest  injury  they  do  us  is  the  distressing 
trade,  and  alarming  the  fears  of  the  people  on  the  sur- 
rounding shores. 

"  Our  situation  is  not  a  little  awkward,  —  buried  in  the 
country,  out  of  hearing  of  the  enemy.  His  Excellency 
is  exceedingly  impatient ;  but  it  is  said,  if  Philadelphia 
is  lost,  all,  all  is  ruined.  It  is  a  great  object  to  be  sure, 
but  not  of  that  great  magnitude  that  it  claims  in  the  meas- 
ure of  the  American  police.  Rest  assured  we  shall  not 
remain  idle  long.  This  is  a  curious  campaign :  in  the 
spring  we  had  the  enemy  about  our  ears  every  hour  ;  the 
Northern  army  could  neither  see  nor  hear  of  an  enemy. 
Now  they  have  got  the  enemy  about  their  heads  and  we 
have  lost  ours,  compelled  to  wander  about  the  country 
like  the  Arabs  in  search  of  them. 

"  I  think  there  is  force  enough  gone  and  going  to 
the  northward,  if  they  are  well  directed  and  led  on 
with  spirit ;  but  without  that  they  will  be  idle  and  use- 
less. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  your  forces  are  healthy  ;  ours  are 
growing  more  so  than  they  were.  I  can  assure  you  I  was 
no  advocate  for  coming  so  hastily  here  ;  for  I  ever  thought 
General  Howe's  motions  very  equivocal.  But  the  loss  of 
Philadelphia  would  injure  us  more  than  our  taking  New 
York  would  them.  And  it  is  not  certain  our  rapid  march 
did  not  hinder  the  enemy  from  coming  up  the  Bay  to  the 
city :  they  were  hovering  about  the  coast  for  several  days 
'tis  very  certain." 


4-40  IJFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

The  camp  on  the  Neshaminy  was  beginning  to 
grow  uncomfortable  under  the  hot  August  sun,  and 
there  was  much  reason  to  fear  that  a  longer  stay 
might  seriously  affect  the  health  of  the  army.^ 
Washington  resolved  to  change  his  ground.  But  at 
the  same  time  he  had  become  convinced  that  the 
British  fleet  was  gone  to  the  southward,  and  that  in 
changing  his  ground  it  was  full  time  to  make  some 
move  of  sufficient  importance  to  counteract  the 
effects  of  the  loss  of  Charleston,  —  if  Charleston,  as 
now  was  feared,  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  He  accordingly  called  a  council  on  the 
morning  of  the  21st,  and  upon  a  careful  considera- 
tion of  the  subject  it  was  unanimously  concluded,  — 
1st,  "  That  the  enemy  had  most  probably  sailed  for 
Charleston  ;  2d,  That  it  was  not  expedient  for  the 
army  to  march  southward,  as  it  could  not  possibly 
arrive  in  time  to  afford  any  succor ;  3d,  That  the 
army  should  move  immediately  towards  the  North 
River."  ^  It  was  in  this  council  that  Lafayette  first 
took  his  place  as  Major-General,  and  here  began  that 
friendship  with  Greene  which,  surviving  ever  fresh 
in  the  breast  of  the  true-hearted  Frenchman,  made 
La  Grange  and  Rue  D'Anjou  homes  for  me,  when 
in  1827,  a  boy  of  sixteen,  I  went  to  him  in  the  name 
of  the  friend  whose  ashes  had  been  lying  forty-one 
years  in  their  unhonored  grave. 

Hamilton  was  sent  to  carry  the  resolves  of  the 
council  to  Congress,  and  bring  back  "the  results 
of  their   opinion."  ^     By  three  o'clock   the    active 

1  Spnrks's  Wasliington,  Vol.  V.  p.  41.  2  jbid. 

8  Ibid.,  p.  40. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  441 

young  aide-de-camp  was  at  the  door  of  Congress 
Hall  with  Washington's  letter  in  his  hand.  Con- 
gress read  it,  "  adjourned  for  two  hours,"  and,  meet- 
ing again  at  five, 

"  Resolved,  That  Congress  approve  the  plan  of  march- 
ing the  army  towards  Hudson's  River,  and  then  that  Gen- 
eral Washington  act  as  circumstances  may  require."  ^ 

But  on  the  next  day,  while  they  were  busy  with 
new  resolves,  came  at  half  past  one  another  pant- 
ing express  from  the  southward  to  tell  them  that 
"near  two  hundred  sail  of  Mr.  Howe's  fleet  [were] 
at  anchor  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay."  ^ 

Here  then  all  doubts  were  ended ;  the  British 
general  was  resolved  to  have  Philadelphia ;  and  oh ! 
what  fear  and  trembling  came  over  loyal  men  and 
women  in  the  devoted  city,  and  how  hard  the  Tories 
found  it  to  hide  their  joy  and  smile  soberly  as  they 
trod  with  elastic  step  the  streets  that  were,  as  they 
now  felt  sure,  speedily  to  be  filled  with  the  repre- 
sentatives of  their  king.  Congress  knew  what  slip- 
pery ground  it  was  standing  on,  and  passed  quick 
resolves  for  moving  the  public  stores  out  of  harm's 
way,  for  calling  out  the  militia  and  strengthening 
the  hands  of  Washino;ton. 

And  Washington,  when  the  tidings  reached  him, 
hastened  his  preparations ;  and  putting  his  army  in 
motion  early  next  morning,  w^as  within  "  about  five 
miles"  of  the  city  by  nightfall.  The  next  day  was 
Sunday,  and  the  early  morning  was  fair ;  but  it  soon 

1  Journals  of  Congress,  Thursday,         ^  Sparks's  Correspondence  of  the 
August  21,  1777.  Revolution,  Vol.  I.  p.  429. 


442  LTFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

came  on  to  rain,  threatening  to  "  spoil  the  stores 
and  wet  the  army."  ^  But  by  seven  the  rain  ceased, 
and  Washington,  drawing  out  his  men  in  long  array, 
as  Clearchus  lengthened  his  line  of  Greeks  to  mul- 
tiply them  in  the  eyes  of  the  wondering  Persians,^ 
led  them  through  the  city,  down  Front  Street  and  up 
Chestnut,  and  out  by  the  road  towards  Wilmington, 
in  quick  continuous  march  without  halting.  "  What 
an  army  !  "  said  both  Whig  and  Tory,  as  they  saw 
them  pass,  the  shorter  men  of  each  company  in 
the  front  rank,  the  taller  behind  them ;  some  in 
hunting-shirts,  some  in  uniform,  some  in  common 
clothes,  some  with  their  hats  cocked,  some  without, 
and  of  those  w4io  did  cock  them,  not  all  wearing 
them  the  same  way,  but  each  man  with  a  green 
sprig,  emblem  of  hope,  in  his  hat,  and  each  bearing 
his  firelock  with  what,  even  to  instructed  eyes,  had 
the  air  of  skilful  training.^  Each  brigadier-gen- 
eral was  at  the  head  of  his  brigade,  each  division- 
general  at  the  head  of  his  division, —  Greene  first, 
with  the  gay  Blodget  and  high-spirited  Clark  at  his 
side.  AVashington,  too,  rode  surrounded  by  his  staff. 
The  drums  beat  and  the  fifes  played  in  the  centre 
of  each  brigade,  the  inspiring  trumpets  sent  out 
their  clear  voices  from  the  heads  of  the  columns, 
and  mingling  with  the  measured  tread  of  man  came 
the  tramp  of  horses  and  the  rumbling  of  artillery. 
Handkerchiefs  waved  towards  them  from  the  win- 
dows, loyal  voices  cheered  and  blessed  them  as  they 

1  John  Ailams  to  his  Wife.     Let-         ^  Graydon's  Memoirs,  Liitell's  Ed., 
ters,  Vol.  I.  p.  253.  p.  291,  and  J.  Adams,  utsup. 

2  AnabiU^is,  II.  4. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  443 

went  by ;  some  eyes,  too,  lowered  upon  them  from 
behind  half-drawn  curtains,  and  when  the  martial 
array  had  passed  slowly  out  of  sight,  some  drew 
lono^  breaths  aorain,  and  felt  as  if  such  men  with 
such  a  leader  must  conquer,  while  others,  shaking 
their  heads  gravely,  said,  "There  are  but  eleven 
thousand  of  them  fit  for  service,  and  the  British 
are  fifteen." 

Thus,  hastening  forward,  Washington  soon  found 
himself  as  near  the  enemy  as  he  cared  to  bring  the 
main  body  of  his  forces  without  a  more  accurate 
knowledge  of  their  position.  Then  with  Greene 
and  Lafayette  and  their  aids  he  went  forward  to 
reconnoitre.  Gray's  Hill  and  Iron  Hill  were  the  only 
spots  in  the  neighborhood  of  Elkton  high  enough  to 
command  an  extensive  view,  and  from  these  the 
American  officers  looked  long  and  anxiously  south- 
eastward, where  a  few  tents,  with  the  British  flag 
waving  haughtily  over  them,  were  the  only  signs 
of  the  invader  that  the  eye  could  detect.  How 
many  were  landed  or  how  soon  they  would  be  pre- 
pared to  push  forward  it  was  impossible  to  ascertain. 
Night  came  upon  the  little  party  as  they  turned 
their  horses'  heads  homewards,  and  with  it  a  sud- 
den tempest  of  wind  and  rain.  Washington  sought 
with  his  companions  the  shelter  of  a  neighboring 
farm-house.  It  was  a  gloomy  evening,  with  the 
black  storm  without  and  the  crowded  little  room 
within,  clothes  drenched  with  rain,  and  uppermost 
in  every  mind  but  Washington's  the  fear  that  some 
partisan  of  the   enemy  might  secretly  bring  him 


444  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

down  upon  them  as  he  had  been  brought  down  upon 
Lee  not  a  twelvemonth  before.  But  the  night  passed 
aw\ay  without  alarm,  though  sleepless  for  Greene, 
and  at  daybreak  they  were  all  in  the  saddle  again, 
glad  to  feel  their  horses  under  them  and  see  an  open 
road  before  them ;  and  then,  as  he  set  spurs  to  his 
steed,  ^yashington  frankly  avowed  that  he  had  made 
a  lucky  escape  and  done  an  imprudent  thing.^ 

Greene  was  next  sent  forward  with  Weedon,  one 
of  his  brigadiers,  to  select  a  position  for  a  camp. 
After  a  careful  examination,  he  fixed  upon  the 
Cross-roads  about  six  miles  from  Elk,  with  an  open 
country  behind  to  draw  supplies  and  reinforce- 
ments from,  and  good  skirmishing  ground  in  front, 
from  which  it  would  be  easy  to  harass  and  annoy 
the  enemy  w^hile  he  was  engaged  in  collecting  the 
provisions  and  carts  and  horses  that  he  needed  for 
putting  his  army  in  motion.  But  before  Greene's 
report  could  reach  head-quarters  a  council  of  war 
had  decided  upon  another  position  and  another 
policy.  An  encampment  was  chosen  right  in  the 
enemy's  path,  —  Redclay  Creek,  about  half-way 
between  Wilmino-ton  and  Christiana.  "You  can- 
not  hold  your  ground,"  said  Greene,  "  if  they  ad- 
vance " )  and  when  it  was  urged  that,  unless  the 
way  was  blocked  up,  Sir  William  Howe  would  push 
straight  on  for  Philapelphia,  he  replied,  "  Howe 
will  not  think  of  such  a  thing  until  he  has  beaten 
this  army."^ 

■  Lafayette's  Memoirs,  Vol.  I.  p.     Greene  was  Gordon's  autliority,  as  I 
21.  learn  by  a  letter  of  Gordon's  to  him, 

2  See   Gordon,   Vol.    IL    p.  494.     April  5,  1784. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  445 

Meanwhile,  great  exertions  were  made  to  remove 
the  stores  with  which  the  country  abounded  out 
of  the  enemy's  reach,  and  Greene  being  in  the  ad- 
vance behind  Whiteclay  Creek,  most  of  this  duty 
fell  upon  him. 

"  Enclosed,"  he  writes  to  Washington  on  the  2d  of 
September,  "  is  a  letter  from  Mr.  Levi  Hollingsworth,  rel- 
ative to  the  situation  of  the  stores  in  that  quarter.  Gen- 
eral Muhlenberg  has  marched  with  his  detachment  to 
cover  the  removal  of  the  stores.  If  your  Excellency  thinks 
an  additional  force  is  necessary  it  shall  be  sent  immedi- 
ately.    I  wait  further  orders." 

At  this  moment  a  new  figure  appears  on  the 
crowding  scene,  one  that  we  shall  often  meet  in 
the  sequel,  and  even  day  by  day,  during  the  most 
active  portion  of  the  Southern  campaigns. 

"  Mr.  John  Rudolph,"  says  Hollingsworth's  letter, 
"  who  was  reconnoitring  with  Captain  Lee  yesterday, 
near  the  head  of  Elk,  says  they  saw  signs  of  a  detach- 
ment of  troops  from  the  enemy  having  gone  towards  Not- 
tingham. Captain  Lee  supposed  them,  by  their  track,  to 
be  about  five  hundred  horse  and  foot." 

It  was  a  fit  rising  of  the  curtain  upon  the 
checkered  career  of  the  gallant  young  Virginian 
whom  companionship  in  toil  and  danger  was  to 
unite  in  such  close  bonds  of  friendship  with  Greene, 
and  wdio  after  many  vicissitudes,  and  much  honor 
and  praise,  was,  forty-one  years  later,  to  end  his 
days  in  obloquy  and  suffering  under  the  roof  of 
Greene's  youngest  daughter.^ 

1  At  Dungeness,  Cumberland  Isl-  room,  with  its  unfinished  walls  of 
and,  Ga.     I  remember  well  the  large     tabby-work  in  which  he  died,  and  the 


44 G  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

"  Notliing  new  in  camp  since  I  wrote  you  last,"  Greene 
writes  to  liis  wife  on  the  7th  of  September,  from  "the 
camp  near  Wihnington,  only  that  the  army  are  advanced 
in  line  with  me.  'Tis  said  this  morning  the  enemy  are 
coming  out.  A  note,  this  moment  received  from  Captain 
Lee,  of  the  light-horse,  favors  the  opinion.  I  am  just 
going  out  upon  a  reconnoitring  party.  You  must  ex- 
cuse a  siiort  letter." 

The  position  of  the  Americans,  although  carefully 
strengthened,  was  found,  as  Greene  had  foreseen, 
to  be  untenable,  and  upon  the  enemy's  advance 
they  fell  back  to  Chad's  Ford  on  the  Brandywine. 

"  The  enemy  marched  out  day  before  yesterday," 
Greene  writes  to  his  wife  on  the  10th  ;  "  they  took  post  in 
a  position  to  turn  our  right  flank,  the  Christiana  creek 
being  on  our  left,  the  General  thought  our  situation  too 
dangerous  to  risk  a  battle,  as  the  enemy  refused  to 
fight  us  in  front.  The  General  ordered  the  army  to  file 
off  to  tlie  right,  and  take  post  at  this  place.  A  general 
action  must  take  place  in  a  few  days.     The  army  are  in 

high  spirits,  and  wish  for   action Here  are  some 

of  the  most  distressing  scenes  imaginable,  —  the  inhab- 
itants generally  desert  their  houses,  furniture  moving, 
cattle  driving,  and  women  and  children  travelling  off 
on  foot, —  the  country  all  resounds  witli  the  cries  of  the 
people,  —  the  enemy  plunders  most  amazingly.  The 
militia  of  tlie  country  are  not  like  the  Jersey  militia; 
fighting  is  a  new  thing  with  these,  and  many  seem  to 
have  but  a  poor  stomach  for  the  business. 

"  I  am  exceedingly  fatigued.      I  was  on  horseback  for 

little  graveyard  in  a  corner  of  an  old  my  cousin,  P.  M.  Nijjhtingale,  son  of 

cotton-field  in  which  he  was  buried,  General    Greene's    eldest    daughter, 

within  a  few  feet  of  my  grandmother's  Martha  Washington, 
grave.     The  estate  now  belongs  to 


I,. 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE,  447 

upwards  of  thirty  hours ;  and  never  closed  my  eyes  for 
near  forty.  Last  night  I  was  in  hopes  of  a  good  night's 
rest ;  but  a  dusty  bed  gave  me  asthma,  and  I  had  very 
little  sleep  the  whole  night ;  but  little  as  it  was,  I  feel 
finely  refreshed  this  morning." 

This  is  not  the  first  mention  of  asthma,  as  the 
reader  will  remember ;  and  henceforth  in  reading 
of  Greene's  laborious  days,  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind,  that  his  nights  were  often  passed  in  strug- 
gling with  this  painful  disease. 

The  battle  which  all  were  anxiously  awaiting 
was  at  hand.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  11th, 
the  enemy  were  seen  approaching  in  force  by  the 
road  to  Chad's  Ford,  where,  expecting  the  principal 
effort  to  be  made,  Washington  had  drawn  up  his 
main  body,  Wayne  with  Proctor's  artillery  in 
front,  behind  an  intrenchment  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  and  Greene  with  his  two  brigades  on  the 
heights  in  their  rear.  The  morning  wore  away 
in  skirmishes  and  cannonading,  Washington  and 
Greene  passing  most  of  it  together  at  head- 
quarters, three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  ford, 
waiting  the  moment  of  decided  action.  Towards 
eleven  came  a  messenger  from  Sullivan,  who  was 
two  miles  higher  up  the  stream  in  command  of  the 
right,  saying  that  a  large  body  of  the  enemy  was 
marching  for  the  upper  fords  by  the  great  valley 
road.  The  force  in  front  could  not  be  the  main 
body  then ;  and  Howe  was  repeating  the  ma- 
noeuvre which  had  given  him  the  victory  of  Long 
Island.      Washington    instantly   decided   to   cross 


448  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

and  attack  the  enemy  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
ford.  Orders  were  sent  to  Sullivan  to  cross  at  the 
same  time,  and  fall  upon  the  left  wing,  Greene 
immediately  put  his  brigades  in  motion,  and  was 
already  over  the  ford  with  the  advance  wdien 
another  messenger  came  ;  there  was  no  large 
body  on  the  great  valley  road,  the  whole  British 
armv  was  in  front;  Greene  and  Sullivan  were  rush- 
ing  upon  certain  destruction.  Greene  was  recalled, 
and  Sullivan  directed  to  wait  further  information 
and  orders. 

Two  more  anxious  hours  passed.  Another  mes- 
senger came,  no  longer  with  hearsays  and  con- 
jectures, but  an  eyewitness,  barely  escaped  with 
panting  hor«e  from  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
Howe's  manoeuvre  had  again  succeeded,  and  Corn- 
wallis  was  already  on  the  left  bank,  pressing  down 
towards  the  rear  of  the  Americans.  Sullivan  was 
hurried  off  to  meet  him.  Wayne  was  ordered  to 
w^atch  the  ford,  where  the  body  that  all  the  morn- 
ing had  been  feigning  an  intention  to  pass  would 
now,  doubtless,  try  to  pass  in  earnest.  Greene 
was  directed  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  to  suc- 
cor either  Wayne  or  Sullivan,  as  circumstances 
might  require.  Washington  remained  with  Greene, 
waiting  for  the  first  sounds  of  the  conflict. 

Another  long  watching  and  waiting.  At  last, 
between  four  and  five,  came  a  sudden  burst  of 
cannon  and  musketry  from  northwestward,  borne 
over  the  fields  and  woods  in  the  still  autumn  air. 
It  was  heard  far  off  in  distant  Philadelphia,  too, 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  449 

muttering  ominously  at  the  windows  of  Congress 
Hall,  and,  booming  heavily  through  the  streets, 
brought  men  quickly  together  in  anxious  groups,-^ 
—  the  Tories  by  themselves,  the  Whigs,  too,  by 
themselves,  looking  at  each  other  askance  in  silent 
expectation.  They  are  at  it,  thought  Washington 
and  Greene,  as  the  sounds  came  faster  and  faster, 
and  in  heavier  surges,  swelling  at  last  into  a  con- 
tinuous roar.  Washington,  pausing  but  a  mo- 
ment to  give  his  orders  to  Greene,  pushed  forward 
by  the  nearest  way,  eager  for  the  battle,  his  horse's 
head  close  upon  the  flank  of  his  guide's  horse, 
leaping  the  fences  in  his  path,  and  calling  out  im- 
patiently, "  Push  on,  old  man  !  push  on  !  " 

Greene,  too,  pressed  forward  with  Weedon's 
brigade  by  the  nearest  road,  hoping  to  come  up 
in  time  for  a  share  in  the  fray ;  his  well-trained 
men  chafino;  from  the  inaction  of  the  mornino;, 
warmed  by  the  roar  from  the  battle-field,  which 
grew  louder  and  distincter  at  every  step,  and  try- 
ing, as  experience  served  them,  to  conjecture  the 
fortunes  of  their  countrymen  from  the  eddying 
tide  of  sound.  They  had  nearly  four  miles  to  go, 
but  in  forty-five  minutes^  the  four  miles  were 
passed ;  and  as  they  came  up,  Pinckney,  one  of 
Washington's  aids,  met  them  with  instructions  to 
halt  Spottswood's  and  Stephens's  regiments  in  a 
ploughed  field  on  Sullivan's  right,  and  form  them 
there.     For  Sullivan,  after  a  gallant  resistance,  had 

1  Lafayette's  Memoirs,  Vol.  I.  p.  25. 
^  Greene  to  H.  Marchant. 
29 


450  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREE.\E.  [1777. 

been  defeated,  and  his  broken  ranks  were  scat- 
tered in  the  woods,  and  crowding  through  the 
road  in  the  rear.  It  was  too  late  to  think  of 
saving  the  day,  but  the  army  might  yet  be  saved ; 
and  to  Greene  the  difficult  and  dangerous  task 
was  assigned. 

His  two  brigades  —  for  Muhlenberg's  joined  him 
by  another  road  —  were  all  Virginians  but  the 
Pennsylvania  regiment  of  Walter  Stewart ;  and  all 
of  them  carefully  trained  under  the  eyes  of  their 
leaders,  the  resolute  Weedon  and  the  impetuous 
Muhlenberg.  Weedon,  though  but  an  innkeeper 
at  Fredericksburg  before  the  war,  had  so  zealously 
"  fanned  the  flame  of  sedition "  till  it  broke  out, 
and  had  taken  so  active  a  part  in  it  when  it  did, 
that  he  was  made  a  brigadier  in  the  promotions  of 
1777,  and,  fortunately  for  both,  was  assigned  to 
Greene's  division,  in  the  general  distribution  of  the 
army.  "  My  dear  old  friend,"  Greene's  letters  to 
him  begin,  and  the  friendship  lasted  through  life. 
Muhlenberg,  though  a  German  Pennsylvanian  by 
birth,  had  studied  at  Gdttingen,  had  been  ordained 
in  London,  and  was  pastor  of  a  parish  in  Virginia 
at  the  opening  of  the  war.  How  he  passed  from 
the  pulpit  to  the  head  of  a  regiment  I  have 
already  told ;  how  gallantly  he  bore  him  in  battle 
I  shall  now  tell. 

Without  wasting  time  in  vain  efforts  to  check 
the  tide  of  flight,  Greene  ordered  his  men  to  open 
their  ranks  as  the  fugitives  came  up,  and  close 
them    again    promptly   when    they   were    passed. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  451 

The  artillery,  too,  was  directed  to  keep  up  a  con- 
stant fire,  and   hold   back   the   enemy ;   and,  thus 
marching    and  fighting,    half   a  mile   was   slowly 
passed,  when,  coming  to  a  narrow  defile  flanked  by 
woods  on  both  sides,  and  commanding  the  road  by 
which  the  army  was  to  retreat,  he  ordered  Weedon 
to  hold  it  with  his  own  brigade,  while  he  crossed 
over  and  held  the  road  with  Muhlenberg.      Day 
was  nearly  spent  when  these  arrangements  were 
completed.     The  fog  of  the  morning  had  melted 
away  before    the    midday    sun,  but   the    evening 
vapors  were  now  gathering,  and  the  tree-tops  all 
aglow  with  the  rich  hues  of  sunset.     Still,  thought 
Cornwallis,  Greene's  fated  antagonist,  as  he  urged 
forward  his   exulting  battalions,  there   are   three 
quarters  of  an  hour  of  sunlight  yet,  full  as  much 
as  we  shall  want  to  complete  the   rout  of  these 
rebels,  and  put,  perhaps,  an  end  to  the  war.     And 
forward  swept  the  bristling  ranks,  their  guns  and 
bayonets  shining   like  silver,  says  one   who   saw 
them;  on  they  swept,  grenadiers,  light  infantry, 
Anspachers  and  Hessians,  till  the  deadly  fire  from 
the  American  guns   met   them  from  the  road  in 
their  front  and  the  defile  on  their  left  flank,  mak- 
ing their  deep  lines  quiver  and  bend,  as  a  corn- 
field   quivers  and  bends  to  the   whirlwind.     But 
Cornwallis's   stern    eye    was   upon    them,    as,   ar- 
rayed  in  the   bright   scarlet   of  his   grade,   with 
glittering  epaulets  and  rich  gold    lace,   firm    and 
erect,  he  sat  on  his  noble  horse  watching  the  ed- 
dying tide  of  battle ;  and,  fearing  the  reproof  of 


452  LIFE   OF   NATHA^'AEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

that  eye,  they  promptly  reformed  their  ranks  and 
rushed  on  ai!;am  to  the  assault.  And  ao-ain  the 
deadly  tempest  met  them,  and  again  they  wavered 
and  fell  back.  ''  To  the  bayonet !  to  the  bayonet ! " 
now  resounded  along  the  line,  and  the  tall  grena- 
diers smiled  grimly  under  their  black  caps ;  and 
the  high-trained  hght  infantry  and  mustachioed 
Hessians  filling  up  the  gaps  in  their  platoons,  and 
throwing  forward  their  keen  bayonets,  rushed  with 
a  ming-led  shout  of  hatred  and  indis-nation  to  the 
charge.  But  if  any  among  them  had  leisure  to 
look  across  the  lessening  interval  between  the  two 
hostile  fronts,  thick  strewn  already  with  wounded 
and  dying  and  dead,  he  would  have  seen  the 
American  line  compact  and  firm ;  he  would  have 
seen  at  its  head,  on  a  large  white  horse,  the  stately 
form  of  Muhlenberg ;  he  would  have  seen  a  keener 
and  more  prophetic  eye  than  Cornwallis's,  sweep- 
ing over  the  field,  and  taking  in  the  whole  position 
at  a  glance.  The  Anspachers  started  with  amaze- 
ment as  they  looked,  for  in  Muhlenberg  they  rec- 
ognized one  who  had  suddenly  come  among  them 
ten  years  before  at  Gottingen ;  and  in  a  wild,  boy- 
ish freak,  had  served  awhile  in  their  ranks,  leav- 
ing behind  him  deep  impressions  of  an  intlexible 
will  and  impetuous  temper.  "  Hier  kommt  Teufel 
Piet!"  ("Here  comes  Devil  Pete  !")  cried  the  old 
soldiers  as  they  gazed,  and  knowing  that  where 
he  led  there  would  be  need  of  all  their  strength, 
braced  themselves  firmly  for  the  shock.  And  now 
bayonet  met  bayonet,  thrust  for  thrust,  man  con- 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  45 


o 


tended  with  man,  strong  arm  against  strong  arm, 
and  skill  was  matched  with  skill.  Charge  followed 
charge  in  quick  succession ;  the  sun  sank  behind 
the  trees,  and  still  the  battle  raged.  At  last,  borne 
down  by  numbers,  Weedon  was  forced  from  his 
ground ;  but  still  maintaining  a  firm  front,  and 
with  face  towards  the  enemy,  brought  off  his  men 
in  good  order,  to  the  road  in  Muhlenberg's  rear. 
And  then,  too,  Greene  having  accomplished  his 
purpose,  and  given  the  broken  divisions  time  to 
make  sure  their  retreat,  slowly  drew  off  his  own 
division,  and,  as  twilight  deepened  into  darkness, 
the  weary  combatants  stayed  their  hands  from  the 
work  of  death.  And  as  they  slowly  made  their 
way  along  the  road  to  Chester,  an  old  man  who 
had  fought  among  the  young  men  said  sadly  to 
his  nearest  companion,  "  Three  hundred  immortal 
souls  are  this  day  to  us  as  though  they  had  never 
been."  "  Yes,  and  we  may  join  them  to-morrow," 
answered  the  other ;  "  but  if  I  live,  may  I  be  hanged 
if  I  don't  avenge  their  deaths,  as  far  as  one  arm 
can  do  it."  ^ 

1  The  history  of  this  battle  is  not  easy  Muhlenberg's  brigade,  knowing  that 
to  uni-avel,  as  the  authorities  stand,  he  was  assisted  in  the  study  of  the 
I  give  them  all  together,  —  Gordon,  battle  by  Colonel  Pinckney,  of  Wash- 
Marshall,  Johnson's  Greene,  Muhlen-  ingtou's  staff.  The  story  of  Wash- 
berg's  Muhlenberg,  Proceedings  of  ington's  having  pointed  out  to  Greene 
the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsyl-  the  position  in  the  defile  has,  as  far 
vania,  September  and  December,  as  I  can  ascertain,  no  other  founda- 
1846,  Washington's  Works,  Vol.  V.,  tion  than  the  order  suggested  by  Sul- 
Greene  MSS.,  Howe's  Official  Re-  livan,  and  conveyed  by  Pinckney, 
port  in  Almon's  Remembrancer,  Vol.  to  halt  in  the  "ploughed  field."  The 
V.  p.  409,  Lafayette's  Memoirs,  Vol.  "  ploughed  field  "  was  the  ground 
V.  p.  1.  I  have  chiefly  followed,  from  which  Greene's  retreat  began, 
though  with  some  hesitation,  John-  and  the  pass,  according  to  Gordon, 
son's  account  of  the  part  taken  by  was  half  a  mile  in  its  rear. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

American  Army  not  discouraged  by  their  Defeat.  —  March  to  Ger- 
mantown.  —  Sullivan  unjustly  blamed.  — -  Weedon  dissatisfied.  — 
Greene  and  Washington.  —  Preparations  for  advancing  towards  the 
Enemy.  —  Advance  to  Warren's  Tavern.  —  Battle  prevented  by  a 
Storm.  —  Greene's  Choice  of  a  Position.  —  Marches  and  Counter- 
marches. —  Howe  deceives  the  Americans,  and  crosses  the  Schuylkill. 

A  ND  thus  tli.e  Americans  lost  another  battle, 
-^^  but  they  lost  neither  heart  nor  hope.  By 
twelve  o'clock  the  troops  were  "arraying  behind 
Chester"  for  the  night.  Greene  had  brought  ojBf 
his  gallant  brigades  in  good  order,  and  Washington, 
exhausted  with  the  labor  and  excitement  of  the 
day  and  evening,  was  upon  the  point  of  going  to 
bed,  when  he  remembered  that  there  was  still  a 
duty  to  perform.  "  Congress  must  be  written  to, 
gentlemen,"  he  said  to  his  staff,  pausing  at  the 
door,  "  and  one  of  you  must  do  it,  for  I  am  too 
sleepy."  Harrison,  on  whom  the  duty  devolved, 
was  too  "  distressed  "  to  write  it,  and  "  put  it  upon  " 
Pickering,  the  Adjutant-General.  "I  wrote  and 
gave  it  to  the  General  to  read,"  writes  Pickering. 
"  He,  with  perfect  composure,  directed  me  to  add 
a  consolatory  hope  that  another  day  would  give  a 
more  fortunate  result."      "And  that,"  said  Picker- 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.     .  455 

ing  to  Mr.  Sparks  when  he  related  the  incident, 
"  was  the  most  important  point  of  all."  ^ 

By  four  in  the  morning  the  letter  was  in  the 
hands  of  John  Hancock,  who  caught  eagerly  at  the 
well-timed  hope.  "  I  am  sorry,"  he  writes,  "  for  the 
unfortunate  issue  of  the  day,  but  from  the  troops 
keeping  up  their  spirits,  I  flatter  myself  it  will  still 
be  in  our  power  to  retrieve  the  loss  of  yesterday  " ; 
adding,  "  I  have  thought  proper,  in  consequence  of 
the  intelligence  received  this  morning,  to  call  the 
Cono-ress  tocrether  at  six  o'clock."  ^ 

At  six  o'clock  Congress  met,  heard  Washington's 
letter,  and  ordered  it  to  be  published ;  then  at  ten, 
and  passed  rapid  resolutions  for  calling  out  the  mi- 
litia, and  hastening  forward  the  Continentals  "to 
reinforce  the  army  under  General  Washington " ; 
and  then  again  at  five  in  the  afternoon,  and  or- 
dered "  a  proper  boat  or  vessel  to  be  provided " 
without  delay,  to  convey  the  wounded  Lafayette  to 
New  Jersey,  and  "  that  the  Commissary-General  of 
purchases  be  directed  to  purchase,  on  the  most  rea- 
sonable terms  he  can,  thirty  hogsheads  of  rum,  and 
that  the  same  be  presented  to  the  array,  and  dis- 
tributed amono;  the  soldiers  in  such  manner  as  the 
General  shall  direct,  in  compliment  to  the  soldiers 
for  their  gallant  behavior  in  the  late  battle  of 
Brandywine."  ^ 

1  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Sparks  for  The  letter  to  Congress  is  given  in 

this  anecdote,  which  is  also  given  in  a  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.  .57. 

letter  from  Pickering  to  Judge  Peters,  2  Sparks's  Correspondence  of  the 

for  the  loan  of  which,  and  other  im-  Revolution,  Vol.  I.  p.  434. 

portant  ones,  I  am  indebted  to  the  3  Journals  of  Congress,  September 

courtesy  of  Mr.  Charles  Eliot  Norton.  12,  1777. 


456  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

Meanwhile,  the  defeated  army  was  rapidly  re- 
turning through  Derby  to  the  banks  of  the  Schuyl- 
kill, Greene  covering  the  rear  with  the  gallant 
brigades,  by  whose  aid  he  had  covered  it  so  effect- 
ually the  day  before.  By  the  13th,  it  was  again 
in  its  late  camping-ground  of  Germantown,  soon 
to  be  its  next  battle-ground.  There,  and  at  Phila- 
delphia, and  throughout  the  country,  there  was 
much  discussion  about  the  causes  of  the  defeat, 
Congress  unjustly  laying  it  at  Sullivan's  door,  and 
even  carrying  its  injustice  so  far  as  to  order  his  im- 
mediate recall  from  the  army,  and  an  official  inves- 
tigation of  his  conduct.  But  Washington,  who 
judged  more  wisely,  remonstrated  with  them 
against  a  measure  which  was  to  deprive  him  of 
the  services  of  a  valuable  officer,  when  he  was  rath- 
er in  need  of  having  new  generals  sent  him,  than 
prepared  to  have  an  old  and  approved  one  taken 
away.^  Congress  yielded,  —  it  was  no  time  to  dis- 
pute Washington's  opinions,  —  and  when,  at  the 
first  practicable  moment,  the  official  investigation 
was  made,  Sullivan  was  justly  exonerated  from  all 
blame."  Time  has  confirmed  the  decision.  The 
conllicting  intcllio-cnce  of  the  11th,  like  the  want 
of  intelligence  at  Long  Island  the  year  before,  was 
the  fault,  not  of  the  generals,  but  of  the  means  at 
their  command.     Steuben  was  but  just  on  his  way 

1  Sparks's  Wiisliington,  Vol.  V.  p.  orv's  able  and  satisfactory  paper  in 
61.  the  Historical  Magazine  for  Uccem- 

2  Ut  sup.  ^2.  For  a  full  vindica-  ber,  1866,  and  also  in  the  Proceedings 
tion  of  General  Sullivan  on  tiiis  and  of  the  Rlassachusetts  Historical  So- 
other occasions,  see  Mr.  T.  C.  Am-  cicty  for  1866-67,  p.  380. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  457 

from  Paris  to  Marseilles,  where  the  Flamand  was 
waiting  to  take  him  to  America,  and  till  Steuben 
came,  many  of  the  springs  and  wheels  without 
which  an  army  cannot  act  either  promptly  or 
harmoniously  were  wanting. 

But  if  there  was  much  of  questioning  as  to  who 
had  lost  the  day,  there  could  be  none  as  to  wdio 
had  saved  the  army.  In  that  "  hour  and  a  quar- 
ter "  "  of  hot  action,"  Greene  had  "  confessedly 
saved  the  park  of  artillery,  and  indeed  the  army, 
from  the  fatal  effects  of  a  disagreeable  rout "  ;  ^  and 
now  his  officers  looked  for  a  public  acknowdedg- 
meut  of  the  important  service  in  general  orders. 
But  no  such  acknowledgment  came,  and  AYeedon 
remonstrated  with  Greene,  and  Greene,  according 
to  one  version  of  the  story,  with  Washington,  who 
replied,  "  You,  sir,  are  considered  my  favorite  offi- 
cer :  Weedon's  brigade,  like  myself,  are  Virginians ; 
should  I  applaud  them  for  their  achievement  under 
your  command,  I  shall  be  charged  with  partiality ; 
jealousy  will  be  excited,  and  the  service  injured." 
Greene  saw  that  Washington  was  right,  and  de- 
sisted. According  to  the  other  version,  he  refused, 
from  the  first,  to  carry  the  complaint  to  Washing- 
ton, saying,  "  Our  General  has  enough  to  distress 
him  ;  let  us  not  add  to  his  perplexities.  The  wdiole 
army  admits  the  services  you  rendered  ;  let  us  rest 
satisfied  with  the  consciousness  of  it."  And  that 
this  is  the  true  version  cannot  be  questioned,  with- 
out calling  in  question  the  truth  of  what  Greene 

1  Greene  to  Colonel  Lee,  February  18,  1782. 


458  LIFE'   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

wrote  to  Colonel  Lee  in  the  letter  from  which  I 
just  now  quoted ;  for  in  that  letter,  w^ritten  to 
meet  some  of  Lee's  complaints  of  unrecognized  ser- 
vices, after  showing  them  to  be  altogether  unfound- 
ed, he  adds: — 

"  How  different  was  my  situation  in  the  Northern 
army  !  I  fought  hard  at  Harlem.  I  was  in  the  action 
at  Trenton  and  Princeton.  I  covered  the  retreat  at 
Brandywine,  and  was  upwards  of  an  hour  and  a  quarter 
in  a  hot  action,  and  confessedly  saved  the  park  of  artil- 
lery, and  indeed  the  army,  from  the  fatal  effects  of  a 
disagreeable  rout ;  and  yet,  in  all  those  actions,  I  never 
had  the  honor  to  have  my  name  mentioned  to  the  public, 
either  as  being  with  the  army,  or  having  done  the  least 
thing,  notwithstanding  I  was  a  general  ofhcer.  At  Ger- 
mantown,  I  was  evidently  disgraced,  though  I  think,  if 
ever  I  merited  anything,  it  was  for  my  exertions  on  that 
day.  I  have  been  concerned  in  many  other  lesser  ser- 
vices, which  have  all  been  passed  over  in  silence.  But  I 
never  murmured  or  complained,  notwithstanding  I  was 
held  in  indignation  for  faults  and  misfortunes  I  had  no 
direction  of."  ^ 

It  was  by  no  means  Washington's  intention  to 
let  Sir  William  Howe  get  possession  of  Philadel- 
phia even  now  without  fighting  for  it,  or  hold  it 
tranquilly  if  he  should  succeed  in  getting  it.  It 
w'as  a  busy  time  in  the  American  camp,  where  the 
men  were  furbishing  up  their  arms  and  preparing 

'■   1  For  first  version  see  Caklwcll's  tcr  to  Lee  was  first  published  by  H. 

Life  of  Greene,  p.  58,  who  evidently  Lee  (son  of  the  Colonel),  in  his  very 

took  up  a  camp  rumor  for  an  authen-  clever,  but  very  angry,  and  therefore 

tic  anecdote.     For  second,  Johnson's  not  always  trustworthy,  "  Campaign 

Greene,  Vol.  I.  p.  77.     Greene's  let-  of  1781."    Appendix,  XVIII. 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  459 

for  another  battle ;  a  busy  time  in  Philadelphia, 
where  good  Whigs  were  packing  up  for  a  sudden 
removal,  and  commissary  officers  hurr^dng  off  the 
public  stores  to  places  of  safety,  and  Congress 
pressing  its  business,  and,  as  an  urgent  part  of  it, 
sending  off  the  principal  Quakers,  — "  six  wagons 
of  them  with  a  guard,"  —  to  Virginia,  in  the 
hope  of  checking  the  readiness  which  the  broth- 
erhood had  so  .  freely  manifested  to  keep  up  a 
treasonable  correspondence  with  the  enemy ;  a 
busy  time  on  the  high  ways,  "  no  end  to  chaises, 
coaches,  and  wagons  with  fugitives  " ;  a  busy  time 
in  the  villages,  where  "  one  message  followed  an- 
other that  the  loss  of  the  American  army  was  very 
serious,"  and  "  the  British  army  already  near  the 
city,"  every  village  fancying  that  it  "  would  be  the 
scene  of  their  march,  or  even  the  battle-field,"  and 
the  pious  Christian,  who  saw  God's  finger  in  all 
this  trouble,  crying,  solemnly, "  Now,  Pennsylvania, 
prepare  to  meet  the  Lord  your  God  ! "  but  busiest 
time  of  all,  at  head-quarters  in  Germantown,  to- 
wards which  all  eyes  were  turned  with  anxious 
expectation.  Cold  weather  was  at  hand,  and  the 
troops  needed  blankets  and  shoes.^  There  was  a 
widespread  disaffection  throughout  the  country, 
making  it  difficult  to  obtain  provisions  or  informa- 
tion, and   without  them,  the    army  could    not  be 

1  The  proof  of  these  statements  See  also  extracts  from  a  very  curious 

is    so    abundant     in     Washington's  Journal  of  H.  N.  Muhlenberg,  in  the 

Letters,  that  you  have  only  to  turn  Life  of  General  Muhlenberg,  p.  341  et 

over  the  pages  of  the  fifth  volume  to  seq. 
find  them  repeated  in  various  forms. 


4 GO  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

moved.  Tlio  British  fleet  would  soon  be  trying  to 
force  its  way  up  the  Delaware,  and  the  defences, 
long  before  begun,  must  be  completed  and  strength- 
ened. The  British  army  would  soon  be  tr3dng  to 
reach  the  Schuylkill,  and  there  were  several  fords 
to  fortify  and  guard. 

Washington's  pen  ran  rapidly  over  quires  of  pa- 
per; Greene's  pen  was  tasked  for  orders  and  in- 
structions. There  was  work,  also,  for  both  of  them, 
out  of  doors  as  well  as  within,  and  work  for  the 
men  too,  who  were  set  at  once  to  clean  their  guns, 
and  put  up  their  fresh  distribution  of  cartridges,  — 
forty  apiece.  On  the  14th,  they  turned  their 
fiices  southward  again  towards  the  enemy,  march- 
ing first  a  few  miles  up  the  left  bank  of  the  Schuyl- 
kill to  Leverino-'s  Ford.  "  0  for  a  little  more  dis- 
cipline,  both  in  officers  and  men,"  thought  Picker- 
ing, as  he  saw  them,  instead  of  marching  directly 
into  the  water  without  breaking  their  ranks,  halt 
and  loiter  on  the  bank,  some  stripping  off  shoes 
and  stockings,  some  their  breeches  too,  and  officers 
even  quitting  their  platoons  to  secure  a  canoe  or 
borrow  a  horse.  "  It  was  a  pleasant  day,"  wrote 
the  rigorous  adjutant  in  his  daily  record,  "  and  had 
the  men  marched  directly  over  by  platoons,  with- 
out stripping,  no  harm  could  have  ensued,  their 
clothes  would  have  been  dried  by  night  on  their 
march,  and  the  bottom  would  not  have  hurt  their 
feet."  Once  over  the  Schuylkill,  Washington 
pressed  forward  by  the  Lancaster  road  to  get  be- 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  461 

tweeii  the  enemy  and  Swede's  Ford.     On  the  15th, 
he  reached  the  Warren  Tavern.^ 

On  the  next  morning,  about  9  o'clock,  the  scouts 
brouo-ht  word  that  the  enemy  was  advancino-  to 
offer  battle.  Detachments  were  instantly  sent  for- 
ward to  support  the  advance  guard,  and  help  them 
hold  the  British  in  check  while  the  line  was  form- 
ing, for,  although  it  was  not  the  ground  Washing- 
ton had  intended  to  fight  upon,  he  was  both  w^ill- 
ing  and  ready  to  figlit.^  The  right  was  quickly 
arrayed  for  action,  Washington  sending  forward 
Pickering,  Adjutant-General,  to  assist  in  forming 
the  troops.  But  behind  the  centre  and  left  was  a 
valley  of  soft,  wet  ground,  impassable  for  artillery, 
except  in  that  part  of  it  which  lay  in  the  rear  of 
Greene's  division,  "  where  there  was  a  firm  road." 
Greene  was  the  first  to  observe  it,  and,  riding  up  to 
Washington,  asked  him  if  he  meant  to  have  the 
troops  fight  in  that  position.  When  Pickering  re- 
turned from  the  right,  the  centre  was  still  unformed, 
and  a  number  of  officers  were  gathered  round 
Washington  •  in  consultation.  "  Pressing  his  horse 
forward  to  learn  the  object,"  he  found  that  they 
were  still  debating  whether  to  "  receive  the  British 
where  they  were,  or  cross  the  valley  and  make 
their  stand  on  the  high  ground  on  the  other  side 
of  it."  Meanwhile  the  sounds  of  musketry  began 
to  come  faster  and  faster  from  the  front,  where 
Wayne,  wdth  the  advanced  guard,  was  already  en- 

1  Marshall,  Vol.  I.  p.  160.  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.  62.     Ticker- 
ing's  Diary,  MSS. 

2  Marshall,  ut  sup. 


462  LIFE   OF   NATHAN.VEL    GREENK  [1777. 

gaged  with  (he  enemy,  and,  as  the  approaching  din 
plainly  showed,  falling  back  upon  the  main  body 
for  support.  The  consultation  still  continued. 
"Sir,"  said  Pickering,  addressing  himself  directly 
to  Washington,  "  the  advancing  of  the  British  is 
manifest  by  the  reports  of  the  musketry.  The  or- 
der of  battle  is  not  completed.  If  we  are  to  fight 
the  enemy  on  this  ground,  the  troops  ought  to  be 
immediately  arranged.  If  we  are  to  take  the  high 
ground  on  the  other  side  of  the  valley,  we  ought 
to  march  immediately,  or  the  enemy  may  fall  upon 
us  in  the  midst  of  our  movement.  Pray,  Sir,  de- 
cide." "  Let  us  move,"  said  Washington ;  and 
Greene  was  ordered  to  draw  up  the  troops  in  the 
new  position. 

By  this  time  the  sky  was  overcast,  and  the  pat- 
tering of  rain  began  to  mingle  with  the  sounds  of 
the  approaching  conflict,  gradually  deepening  from 
shower  to  shower  into  a  continuous  flood.  The 
British  came  to  a  halt;  neither  side  was  able  to 
use  its  cannon,  much  less  its  muskets.  At  night- 
fall the  Americans  filed  off  on  the  road  to  Yel- 
low Springs,  moving  slowly  and  painfully  over 
the  miry  ground,  and  under  the  drenching  rain 
as  it  dashed  slant  upon  them,  borne  furiously 
hither  and  thither  by  a  sharp,  bleak  wind.  When 
they  reached  their  halting-place,  they  had  to  rest 
themselves  as  best  they  could  on  the  streaming 
earth,  their  tents  being  with  the  baggage-train  in 
the  rear. 


1 


1  Most  of  the  details  of  this  para-     ering  manuscripts  in  the  possession 
graph  I  have  drawn  from  the  Pick-     of  Mr.  Octavius  Pickering,  of  Cam- 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  463 

But  they  were  not  to  rest  long,  for  on  examining 
their  arms  it  was  fomicl  that  their  ill-protected 
guns  were  unfit  for  use,  and  their  worse-protected 
ammunition,  which  had  been  distributed  at  forty 
rounds  a  man,  was  water-soaked  in  their  worthless 
cartouch-boxes.  Sorely  disappointed,  and  with  a 
heavy  heart,  Washington  again  put  his  weary  bat- 
talions in  motion  towards  Warwick  Furnace,  where 
the  strong  ground  would,  he  hoped,  protect  him 
^  while  his  men  were  cleaning  and  repairing  their 
arms,  and  a  fresh  supply  of  ammunition  was  brought 
up  from  the  magazines.^  Greene  was  sent  forward 
with  Tilghman,  one  of  Washington's  aids,  to  choose 
a  position,  and  chose  one  on  the  range  of  moun- 
tains that,  extending  from  Valley  Forge  to  the  Yel- 
low Springs,  —  "  difficult  of  access,"  easy  of  descent, 
well  suited  for  skirmishes  and  partial  actions,  but 
impossible  to  force  a  general  engagement  upon,  — 
offered  most  of  the  same  advantages  of  ground 
which  had  enabled  the  American  general  to  baffle 
all  the  manoeuvres  of  his  adversary  m  June  and 
July.  And  thus,  with  Wayne  close  in  the  enemy's 
rear,  and  the  main  army  within  striking  distance  of 
his  flank,  Greene  thought  that  a  crippling  blow 
might  be  dealt  if  Howe  should  attempt  to  cross 

bridge,    who    kindly    permitted    me  515)  to  be  the  wet  valley  mentioned 

to   have   copies  made  of  everything  by  Pickering,  which  with  such  a  rain 

in    them  which   bore  upon  my  sub-  would  soon  become  a  pond,  and  as  a 

ject.      The  cold  wind   is   spoken  of  pond  be  remembered  by  many  of  the 

in   Muhlenberg's   Journal.       I    sup-  actors. 

pose    the   "large    piece    of   water"  i  Sparks 's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p. 

mentioned  by  Gordon   (Vol.  II.  p.  66. 


464  LIFE   OF   NATILVNAEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

the  Scluijlkill,  and  a  safe  retreat  secured  in  case  of 
disaster.^ 

But  while  Greene  was  makinp^  his  study  of  the 
ground,  a  council  of  war  was  deciding  to  act  by  the 
front,  and  unfortunately,  if  we  are  to  judge  by  the 
result  on  both  occasions.  Washino;ton  ao-ain  ac- 
cepted  their  decision.  That,  as  a  military  man,  he 
approved  of  Greene's  plan  it  would  be  wronging 
him  to  doubt ;  but  Greene's  enemies,  who  were  also 
his  enemies,  were  at  this  time  accusing  Greene  of  a  ^ 
willingness  to  sacrifice  Philadelphia  from  a  dread 
of  southern  influence,^  and  Washington  seems  to 
have  felt  that,  whatever  his  military  judgment 
might  dictate,  he  must  again  give  way  to  public 
opinion.  In  this  sentiment  Greene  did  not  concur, 
neither  did  he  aj)prove  of  submitting  every  ques- 
tion to  the  decision  of  a  council  of  war,  —  a  system 
which  betrayed,  as  he  thought,  something  like  a 
want  of  personal  decision.  We  shall  come  upon  an 
open  expression  of  this  thought  in  a  few  moments, 
and  by  and  by,  when  we  tell  the  story  of  his  great 
campaign  of  '81,  we  shall  see  how  strictly  he  lived 
up  to  the  idea  of  independent  action  which  he 
seems  to  have  already  formed. 

In  accordance,  then,  with  the  opinion  of  the 
council,  Wayne  was  left  in  the  rear,  where  he  soon 
after  met  with  that  bloody  disaster,  the  remem- 
brance of  which  has  come  down  to  us  as  the  massa- 

1  Gordon,  from   Greene's    Memo-  the  time,  as  appears  fiom  Grajdon, 

randa,  Vol.  II.  p.  516.    Greene's  first  p.  292. 
plan  of  acting  on  the  flank  before  the         ^  Qrajdon,  p.  292. 
battle  of  Brand)  wine  was  known  at 


!^ 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  465 

ere  of  Paoli.  Howe  for  once  was  fully  awake, 
resolved  to  have  Philadelphia  by  force  or  by  skill, 
cost  what  it  mio-ht  of  toil  or  blood.  And  thus 
Washington,  too,  was  kept  in  constant  motion.  On 
the  18th,  the  Americans  were  at  Warwick  ;  on  the 
19th,  at  Fatland  Ford,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Schuylkill,  which  even  at  Parker's  Ford,  several 
miles  higher  up,  where  they  crossed,  was  breast 
high.^  "  His  Excellency  General  Washington  was 
with  the  troops  who  passed  us  here  to  the  Perkio- 
men,"  says  Muhlenberg's  diary  for  Friday,  Septem- 
ber 19th.  "  The  procession  lasted  the  whole  night, 
and  we  had  all  kinds  of  visits  from  officers  wet  to 
the  breast,  who  had  to  march  in  that  condition  the 
cold,  damp  night  through,  and  to  bear  hunger  and 
thirst  at  the  same  time.  This,"  he  adds,  "robs 
them  of  courage  and  health,  and  instead  of  pray- 
ers Ave  hear  from  most,  the  national  evil,  curses." 
But  the  good  man  offered  up  sincere  and  earnest 
prayers  for  them. 

The  two  armies  were  now  near  each  other,  front 
to  front  almost,  with  the  swollen  Schuylkill  flowing 
rapidly  between.  The  British  tents  could  be  seen 
from  Providence  "  with  a  telescope,"  and  the  good 
old  Whig  who  tells  us  so  seems  to  have  shuddered 
as  he  looked  out  upon  them  from  his  once  peace- 
ful home.  His  "  weaker  vessels  baked  bread  twice  " 
during  the  day, "  and  distributed  all  the  food  they 
had  to  the  sick  and  ailing.     In  the  evening  a  nurse, 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.  65.     Muhlenberg's  Journal,  Life  of 
Muhlenberg,  p.  342. 

30 


466 


LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE. 


[1777. 


With  three  English  children  of  a  fugitive  family  of 
consequence,  from  Philadelphia,  arrived,  and  could 
get  no  farther,  as  it  was  night.  They  hegged  for 
lodging,  which  we  granted,  as  good  or  bad  as  we 
had  it,  '  Give  shelter  willingly'  (Romans  xii.  13),^ 
particularly  to  children  who  are  yet  saints.  There 
were  also  two  negroes,  servants  of  the  English 
family,^  who  wished  to  one  another  in  secret  that 
the  British  might  be  victorious,  as  then  all  negro 
slaves  w^ould  be  free ;  and  this  opinion  is  said  to  be 
general  among  all  negroes  in  America.'*  ^ 

Instructive  glimpses  these  into  the  interior  of  a 
cottage  between  two  hostile  armies,  whom  it  is 
sometimes  better  to  see  march  by  from  the  cotr 
tasrer's  door,  with  tremblino;  women  and  children 
around  you,  than  from  the  strategian's  closet  with 
nothing  but  maps  and  muster-rolls  to  remind  you 
that  you  are  all  children  of  the  same  Father. 

On  the  17th,  the  venerable  pastor  had  written:  — 

"  Here  am  I  old,  worn  out,  witli  a  sick  wife  sulvjcct  to 
hysterical  paroxysms,  have  with  me  two  daugliters,  two 
sons'  wives  with  two  infant  children,  and  my  son's  parents- 
in-law,  and  expect  every  day  and  hour  that  a  British  di- 
vision will  cross  the  Schuylkill  and  treat  us  without 
distinction,  as  the  providence  of  God  has  ordered  and  will 
allow.  We  cannot  well  fly,  for  there  is  no  place  safe. 
Where  the  two  armies  do  not  reach  there  are  thieves,  rob- 
bers, and  min-derers,  who  take  advantage  of  the  present 
time  and  condition." 

1  The  quotation  is  from  Luther's         "^  Muhlcnberj^,  the  reader  will  re- 
version,   "  Jlerberget    gerne."       The  member,  was  a  Gennan   American, 
Enf^li.'-h    version    reads,    "  Given  to  and  therefore  calls  these  English, 
hospitality."  3  Muhlenberg's  Diary,  ut  sup. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  467 

The  American  army  seemed  to  bring  hope  with 
them ;  but  on  the  21st,  Sunday,  in  the  afternoon, 
the  British  Avere  said  to  be  in  motion  again,  likely, 
Muhlenberg  was  told, "  to  come  out  upon  the  great 
road  at  our  house  and  attack  the  American  army. 
We  w^ere  advised  to  fly,  as  a  battle  might  take 
place  and  our  house  be  plundered  or  burned." 
Some  of  the  family  resolved  to  go  to  New  Han- 
over, and  wanted  him  to  go  with  them.  He  tried 
to  persuade  his  wife  to  go  and  "  leave  [him]  be- 
hind alone.  She  was  not  to  be  persuaded,  but 
would  rather  live,  suffer,  and  die  with  me  in  Provi- 
dence." 

Meanwhile,  Howe  was  manoeuvring  to  get  pos- 
session of  the  lower  fords,  and  through  them  of  the 
road  to  Philadelphia,  by  alarming  Washington  for 
the  safety  of  his  stores  at  Reading.  It  was  for  this 
that  his  army  was  in  motion,  pushing  apparently 
up  the  great  valley  road  towards  the  upper  fords. 
Washington  resolved  to  throw  himself  in  his  front. 
"  At  twelve  o'clock  at  night  the  advance  of  the 
American  army,  with  many  field-pieces,  came  past, 
and  some  of  them  knocked  at  our  door,  as  if  to 
break  it  in.  Our  people  rose,  asked  them  what 
they  wanted,  and  were  answered, '  Fire.'  A  Ger- 
man captain,  however,  drove  them  off." 

The  British  general,  meantime,  by  a  rapid  coun- 
termarch, had  seized  Fatland's  and  Gordon's  Fords, 
and  begun  to  cross  over  to  the  left  bank.  The  road 
to  Philadelphia  was  now  open.  When  the  unwel- 
come news  reached  head-quarters,  "every  one,"  says 
Gordon,  "  was  astonished." 


408  LU'E    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

"  On  one  of  these  dreary  nights,"  writes  Picker- 
ing, "as  the  army  marched  upwards  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Schuylkill,  in  its  rear  I  fell  in  with  Gen- 
eral Greene.  AVe  descended  the  bank  of  Perkio- 
men  Creek  together,  and  while  our  horses  were 
drinking,  I  said  to  him :  '  General  Greene,  before  I 
came  to  the  army,  I  entertained  an  exalted  opin- 
ion of  General  Washington's  military  talents,  but 
I  have  since  seen  nothing  to  enhance  it.'  I  did 
not  venture  to  say  it  was  sensibly  lowered,  though 
that  was  the  fact;  and  so  Greene  understood  me, 
for  he  instantly  answered  in  these  words  precisely: 
'  Why,  the  General  does  want  decision ;  for  my 
part,  I  decide  in  a  moment.' " 

That  Greene  did  decide,  after  a  careful  examina- 
tion of  facts,  with  marvellous  promptitude,  is  as- 
serted by  all  who  knew  him,  and  proved  by  all  his 
independent  acts.  Still,  I  could  wish  that  he  had 
never  permitted  himself  to  call  Washington's  de- 
cision in  question ;  for  the  hereditary  reverence  I 
have  been  trained  up  in  for  that  wonderful  man, 
and  which  Greene's  precept  and  example  have 
made  traditional  in  his  family,  renders  it  difficult 
for  me  to  enter  into  the  feelings  of  those  who,  act- 
ing with  him,  and  loving  and  revering  him,  and 
putting  full  fiith  in  his  civic  talents,  still  permitted 
themselves  —  as  Hamilton  and  Pickering  and  Steu- 
ben are  known  to  have  done  —  to  doubt  his  mili- 
tary talents.  That  Greene's  was  but  a  passing 
doubt,  extending  to  a   single  quality,  and  arising 

'  Gordon,  Vol.  II.  p.  518. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  469 

from  the  cause  already  mentioned,  will  plainly  ap- 
pear from  the  sequel.^ 

Nothing  but  a  battle  could  now  save  the  city. 
Congress  had  already  withdrawn  with  the  intention 
of  reassembling  at  Lancaster,  although  they  after- 
wards  decided   to    remove    to   Yorktown  ;  ^    and 
wisely,  before  they  separated,  they   strengthened 
Washington's  hands  by  an  important  resolve.^    Still, 
a  battle  was  looked  for,  especially  by  Pennsylva- 
nians,  upon  whom  the  brunt  of  these  destructive 
marches  and  countermarches  fell.     But  Washing- 
ton now  felt  that  he  must  wait  a  few  days  longer, 
no  matter  what  the  public  thought  or  said,  for  rein- 
forcements were  on  their  march,  and   his   troops 
needed  rest,  and  more  especially  shoes  and  blan- 
kets.    When  next  he  fought  he  was  determined  to 
come  strong-handed  to   the    conflict.     Meanwhile, 
he  drew  back  a  few  miles  farther  up  the  country, 
and  pitched  his  camp  at  Pennibecker's  mill  on  Per- 
kiomen  Creek. 

1  Pickering  Papers  and  Pickering  ington's  "  reluctance  to  change  opin- 
io Peters,  MSS.     I  have  been  coun-  ion"  led  him  to  expose  himself  and 
selled  not  to   repeat   this   anecdote;  his  suite  to  a  serious  danger.     Did 
but,  as  I  interpret  the  historian's  duty,  Lafayette  look  up  to  him  with  any 
the   suppression    of  a   characteristic  the  less  reverence  1 
fact  is  a  practical  falsehood.     Greene  ^  gparks's  Correspondence  of  the 
saw  faults  in    Washington,  but  saw  Revolution,  Vol.  I.  p.  436. 
too  that  they  were  outbalanced  by  his  ^  Journals,  October  17,  1777. 
virtues.    Lafavette  tells  us  that  Wash- 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


Howe  in  Philadelphia.  —  Straitened  for  Provisions.  —  Washino^on's 
Preparations  for  the  Defence  of  the  Delaware.  —  Council  of  War 
oppose  a  Battle.  —  Further  Intelligence.  —  Battle  decided  upon.  — 
Advance  of  the  Army  and  Battle  of  Germantown. 

TTOWE  entered  Philadelphia  on  the  26th  of  Sep- 
-^  ^  tember  amid  the  exultations  of  the  Tories,  and 
the  deep  dejection  of  the  few  Whigs  whom  chance 
or   necessity  had  detained   there.     This,  however, 

^  7  7 

was  only  a  first  step,  and  it  had  cost  him  a  battle 
and  thirt}^  days'  marching,  though  the  distance  from 
his  landing-place  at  Elkton  was  only  sixty  miles. 
Two  miles  a  dav.  with  fio-litino^  on  the  road,  and 
starvation  at  the  end  of  it,  did  not  look  like  putting 
down  the  rebellion  this  campaign.  But  the  British 
and  their  partisans  talked  boldly  of  the  victories 
they  had  already  won,  and  promised  themselves 
still  greater.  There  was,  however,  a  second  step 
to  take,  without  which  it  were  better  the  first  had 
never  been  taken.  Without  the  command  of  the 
river  there  could  be  no  direct  communication  with 
the  fleet,  and  consequently  no  sure  base  of  sup- 
plies. Provisions  had  long  been  dear  in  Philadel- 
phia, especially  West  India  and  European  arti- 
cles ;  but  immediately  after  the  British  entered  it, 
articles  of  daily  use  rose  to  prices  that  few  could 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  471 

continue  to  pay  long  without  exhausting  their 
resources.^  To  shut  out  the  British  fleet  from  go- 
ing freely  up  and  down  the  river,  and  thus  starve 
Howe  into  evacuation,  was  one  of  Washington's 
first  aims,  and  the  principal  means  of  accomplishing 
it  were  chevcaix-de-f rises  in  the  channel,  supported 
by  galleys,  frigates,  and  two  forts,  —  Fort  Mifflin 
on  Fort  Island,  and  Fort  Mercer  at  Eed  Bank  on 
the  Jersey  shore.  How  long,  how  skilfully,  and 
how  gallantly  the  passage  of  the  river  was  de- 
fended we  shall  see  a  little  further  on ;  for  some  fa- 
miliar names  are  awaiting  us  there,  and  some  of 
the  glory  of  those  brave  days  is  ours. 

But  the  preparations  of  annoyance  did  not  end 
here.  Reinforcements  were  coming  in  from  the 
North  and  from  Virginia,  and  with  their  aid  a  direct 
blow  might  be  struck  at  the  royal  army  itself  be- 
fore it  could  settle  contentedly  down  in  its  winter 
quarters.  Accordingly,  on  the  28th,  two  days  after 
the  occupation  of  the  city  by  the  British,  a  council 
of  war  was  assembled  to  decide  whether  it  w  ould 
be  better  to  wait  for  these  reinforcements,  or  to 
venture  an  immediate  attack  with  the  eight  thou- 
sand continentals  and  three  thousand  militia,  al- 
ready in  camp,  upon  the  eight  thousand  British  and 
German  regulars  who  held  Philadelphia.  Greene, 
with  all  of  the  major-generals  and  five  of  the  briga- 
diers, was  for  deferring  the  attack,  but  taking,  at 
the    same   time,  some  strong  position   nearer  the 

1  J.  Adams's  letters  to  his  wife  for  the  first,  and  Reed's  Life  of  President 
Reed  for  the  second. 


472  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

city,  from  uhcnce  they  might  advance  or  retreat, 
as  circumstances  required.  Wayne,  with  five  other 
brigadiers,  was  for  attacking  at  once.  Washing- 
ton accepted  the  decision  of  the  majority,  and  on 
the  30th  the  army  moved  forward  by  the  Skippack 
road  to  within  sixteen  miles  of  Germantown,  where 
a  part  of  the  enemy's  forces  lay.  The  Americans 
kept  vigilant  guard  in  their  new  camp,  and  con- 
stantly sent  out  light  parties  for  intelligence.  One 
of  the  early  fruits  of  this  watchfulness  was  two  in- 
terrupted letters,  from  which  it  was  ascertained  that 
Sir  William  Howe  "  had  detached  a  part  of  his  force 
against  Billingsport  and  the  forts  on  the  Delaware."  ^ 
A  second  council  was  promptly  called.  All  agreed  in 
voting  an  immediate  attack,  and  the  battle  of  Ger- 
mantown, in  a  political  sense,  at  least,  one  of  the 
most  important  battles  of  the  Revolution,  was  the 
immediate  consequence  of  that  vote. 

The  British  position  seemed  to  invite  attack. 
Part  of  their  forces,  as  we  have  seen,  had  been  de- 
tached to  act  against  the  defences  of  the  Delaware, 
part  had  been  stationed  in  Philadelphia,  and  a  still 
larger  part  lay  at  Germantown,  now  almost  a  suburb 
of  the  metropolis,  but  then  a  village  of  a  single 
street,  two  miles  in  length,  and  four  miles  nearer 
than  the  city  to  the  American  camp.*^  Here  the 
main  body  of  the  British  were  encamped,  their 
centre  near  the  centre  of  the  villao-e,  and  at  risj-ht 
angles  with  it,  and  their  wings  stretching  out  into 
the  country  in  the  midst  of  gardens  and  orchards, 

>  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.  78.  «    Marshall,  Vol.  I.  p.  167' 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  473 

and  covered  in  front  by  the  German  chasseurs  on 
their  left,  and  Simcoe's  Queen's  Rangers  on  their 
right.  Their  pickets  were  at  Mount  Airy,  two 
miles  fixrther  up  the  main  road. 

Besides  this  main  road,  there  were  two  other  roads 
to  the  village,  —  the  Lime-kiln  road,  leading  into  the 
centre  of  the  camp,  nearly  at  an  angle  of  forty-five 
degrees,  and  the  old  York  road,  which  led  to  the 
rear  of  the  camp  by  a  similar  angle  with  the  Lime- 
kiln. Both  of  these  roads  were  on  the  British  right. 
On  their  left,  which  was  strengthened  by  Wissa- 
hickon  Creek,  a  small  stream  running  for  some  dis- 
tance almost  parallel  with  the  village,  and  then 
eastward  to  empty  into  the  Schuylkill,  there  was 
still  another  road,  generally  known  as  the  Ridge 
road,  which,  crossing  the  creek  not  far  from  its 
mouth,  led  directly  in  upon  the  German  troops 
who  were  posted  there,  and  leaned,  although  they 
did  not  absolutely  rest  upon  the  Schuylkill.  To 
strike  the  British,  front,  flank,  and  rear,  and  thus 
rendering  it  impossible  for  one  body  to  carry  suc- 
cor to  another,  crush  them,  as  it  were,  by  four 
simultaneous  blows,  the  American  army  was  di- 
vided into  four  columns,  each  of  which  was  to  act 
by  a  separate  road. 

Sullivan  led  the  right  wing,  which  w^as  to  take 
the  enemy  in  front  by  the  main  road;  Greene  the 
left,  which  was  to  come  in  upon  their  right  by  the 
Lime-kiln  road,  while  the  attacks  upon  their  rear 
were  intrusted  to  the  Pennsylvania  militia,  under 
Armstrong,  by  the  Ridge  road,  and  the  Maryland 


474  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

and  Jersey  militia,  under  Smallwood  and  Forman, 
by  tlie  old  York  road.  Light  parties  were  to  scour 
the  roads  and  fields  in  front,  and  keep  open  the 
communications  between  the  different  corps  as  the 
army  advanced. 

About  seven  ^  in  the  evening  of  the  3d  of  Octo- 
ber the  Americans  broke  up  from  their  encamp- 
ment at  Metuchen  Hill  on  Skippack  Creek,  and  set 
out  upon  their  night  march  of  sixteen  miles.  The 
country,  through  which  they  were  to  pass  was  ir- 
regular, dotted  with  woods,  orchards,  and  enclosed 
fields,  with  here  and  there  a  valley,  and  in  some 
places  a  marsh  or  a  small  watercourse.  The  air 
was  heavy  with  lowland  vapors,  through  which  the 
stars  twinkled  fitfully,  and  the  breath  of  the  night- 
wind  was  frosty  and  chill.  But  officers  and  men 
were  well  broken  in  to  night  marches;  and  what 
were  walls  that  could  be  thrown  down  and  ditches 
that  could  be  leaped,  to  mire  knee  deep  and  rivers 
breast  high  ?  and  what  the  still  mist  to  a  pelting 
rain  ?  On  then  they  marched,  with  the  heavy  tread  of 
twenty  thousand  feet,  and  heavier  rumbling  of  can- 
non and  ammunition  wagons  ;  the  veterans,  strong 
by  their  recollections  of  the  past,  and  the  new- 
comers emulous  of  the  name  of  veterans. 

Sullivan's  advance  was  the  first  on  the  ground, 
and  as  they  descended  into  the  valley  near  Mount 
Airy,  the  sun  rose  with  the  momentary  promise  of 
a  clear  day,  but  was  presently  lost  again  in  a  fog. 
The  landscape,  too,  was  almost  lost,  close  wrapped 

'  Washintrtftn  says  7, —Sparks,  Vol.  V.  p.  78.     Sullivan,  9,  —  Id.  464. 
Pickcriny's  MS.  Diary,  —  "about  8." 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  475 

in  thick  vapors,  which,  opening  from  time  to  time, 
gave  short  gUmpses  of  objects  forty  yards  distant, 
and  suddenly  closing  in  again,  dense  and  dark,  left 
the  mind  bewildered  and  the  eye  aching  with  the 
effort  to  recover  what  it  had  seen.  Still  Sullivan 
pressed  on,  came  upon  the  British  outposts  by  sur- 
prise, drove  them  in,  and  still  advancing  and  fight- 
ing, for  the  British  rallied  at  every  fence  and  new 
troops  came  up  to  their  support,  made  sure  his  ad- 
vance by  the  main  road,  with  his  troops  well  in 
hand,  and  everything,  like  the  sunrise  just  before, 
bidding  fair  for  a  propitious  day.  And  now,  he 
thought,  it  is  time  to  hear  from  Greene ;  and  not 
hearing  from  him,  and  fearing  for  his  left  flank,  he 
ordered  Wayne  to  form  on  the  east  of  the  road,  on 
ground  assigned  to  Greene  in  the  original  plan  of 
attack. 

In  that  plan  it  had  been  expected  that  the  whole 
army  would  be  upon  the  ground  by  daylight ;  but 
the  difficulties  of  the  road  retarded  Sullivan's  ad- 
vance till  sunrise,  and  Greene's,  with  his  additional 
two  miles,  and  a  mistake  of  his  guide,^  some  time 
longer.  There  would  appear  also  to  have  been 
some  mistake  in  estimating  the  distances,  involving, 
of  course,  a  corresponding  mistake  in  fixing  the 
time  for  brinorins;  the  different  columns  into  action. 
Thus,  it  was  about  half  an  hour  after  Sullivan's  at- 
tack began  when  Greene  came  upon  the  ground, 
advancing  along  the  Lime-kiln  road,  with  Stephen's 
brigade  on  the  west  of  it,  Scott's,  Muhlenberg's,  and 

1  Pickering's  Diary  and  his   letter  in    North    American    Keview,   Vol. 
XXIII.  p.  425. 


47G  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

McDoiigal's  on  the  east.  And  here,  Sullivan's  change 
in  the  oriizinal  plan  of  attack,  though  well  meant,and 
apparently  called  for  by  the  circumstances,  wrought 
a  fatal  injury,  for  as  Stephen  advanced,  he  found 
"Wayne's  corps  in  his  front,  where  he  had  looked 
only  for  the  enemy,  and  mistaking  it  for  the  enemy, 
fired  upon  it.  "Wayne's  troops,  too,  equally  surprised 
to  find  themselves  attacked  from  their  rear  were 
thrown  into  a  momentary  confusion,  and  before  the 
error  could  be  corrected  and  order  restored,  Ste- 
phen's division  was  irretrievably  separated  from 
Greene's,  and  a  dangerous  gap  made  in  the  Ameri- 
can line. 

Still  Greene  pushed  on  at  the  head  of  his  divis- 
ion, Muhlenberg  leading  his  own  gallant  brigade 
which  had  made  the  great  stand  at  the  Brand}'- 
wine.  Scott  and  McDousral  leadino;  theirs ;  the  air 
ringing  the  while  with  the  sounds  of  the  conflict 
on  the  right, —  sounds  which  a  soldier,  tr^'ing  to 
recall  them  when  the  battle  was  over,  likened  to 
"  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a  pot,  and  incessant 
peals  of  thunder."  ^  The  first  force  they  met  was 
a  body  of  light  infantry,  and  driving  it  before  them, 
and  sweeping  resistlessly  on,  in  a  few  moments  they 
found  themselves  in  front  of  the  British  riirht,  all 
drawn  up,  and  ready  to  receive  them.  In  front  of 
them,  I  say.  but  still  almost  without  seeing  them, 
for  the  fog  was  so  thick  that  forty  yards  was  the 
farthest  they  could  see,  and  often  not  farther  than 
twenty,  and  the  hostile  line,  magnified  by  the  mist, 

'  Letter  of  a  soldier  in  the  Newport  Gazette. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  477 

must  have  looked,  as  all  indistinct  objects  do,  larger 
and  stronger  than  it  really  was.     But  there  was  the 
flash  from  the  enemy's  guns  to  guide  them,  and  by 
that  flash  they  aimed  their  own,  and  firing  rapidly 
volley   upon  volley,  soon  made  them  waver    and 
shrink.     Then  forward  came  Muhlenberg,  with  the 
bayonet,  dashing  upon  them  like  a  wave  upon  a 
quivering  wreck,  and  driving  them  sheer  through 
the  camp  into  the  village.     Never  before  had  those 
low,  steep-roofed  stone  houses  looked  down    from 
their  pent-eaves  or  peered  out  from  under  their 
ponderous  cornices  upon  such  a  scene.     Evil  was 
the  hour  when  their  builders  built  their  walls  of 
stone,  and,  making  them  strong  against  cold  and 
heat,  made  them  fatally  strong  against  their  friends. 
For  the  British  soldiers,  well  trained  and  prompt  in 
danger,  threw  themselves  into  them  all  through  the 
village,  carrying  even  their  light  field-pieces  into 
the  chambers,  and  pouring  down  hurtling  showers 
of  cannon-balls  and  musket-balls  from  the  windows. 
Then  might  you  have  seen  that  the  chief  want  of 
our  brave  fellows  was  the  want  of  discipline,  and 
that  impassive  bearing  which  discipline  gives.     For 
as  the  combat  deepened,  and  men  began  to  fall,  you 
would  see  two,  and  often  five  or  even  six,  quit  their 
places  in  the  ranks  to  help  off  a  wounded  comrade, 
dropping  and  losing  their  own  arms  by  the  way. 
Many  of  these  would  not  return  to   the  line  at 
all,  and  often  the  wounded   man   would   die   be- 
fore they  reached  the  surgeon.     Officers,  too,  were 
frequently  found  out  of  their  places,  and  separated 


478  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

from  their  men  at  the  very  moment  when  their 
famihar  voices  were  most  needed  to  guide  them, 
and  their  flmiihar  faces  to  cheer  them.^ 

And  now,  too,  the  air  grew  darker  as  the  smoke 
of  the  sfuns,  and  the  still  denser  smoke  of  stubble 
and  hay,  which  the  enemy  had  set  fire  to,  to  in- 
crease the  confusion,  mingled  with  the  fog;  all 
hanging  over  the  battle-field  in  sulphurous  folds, 
which  there  was  no  wind  to  blow  aside.  And  from 
it  came  shouts  and  huzzas,  and  shrieks  and  groans, 
and  reverberations  of  cannon,  and  the  crackling  of 
musketry ;  and  under  it  the  fierce  work  still  went 
on,  the  deadly  thrust  and  clash  of  bayonet,  the 
deadl}^  struggle  hand  to  hand,  eyes  glaring  mortal 
hate  into  eyes  they  had  never  seen  before,  and  foot 
sternly  pressed  on  palpitating  limbs  and  bespatter- 
ino;  human  blood.  Look  well  to  it,  Kinsr  Georo;e ! 
think  well  of  it  under  the  gilded  canopy  of  your 
royal  closet !  for  although  none  of  these  fiendish 
sounds  can  reach  you  there  now,  the  time  w^ill 
surely  come  when  thej^  shall  knock  dolefully  at 
your  door  till  Reason  deserts  her  seat,  and  the  man 
at  whose  will  all  these  brothers  of  God's  household 
are  shedding  each  other's  blood  so  freely  becomes 
a  drivelling  idiot. 

The  left  wing  then  was  in  the  village  at  the  market- 
place, and  though  reduced  in  numbers  by  Stephen's 
inability  to  extricate  his  division  from  its  entangle- 
ment with  Wayne  —  for  Stephen,  brave  and  tried 
officer  hitherto,  had  used  his  canteen  too  freely  that 
raw  morning  — was  still  driving  the  enemy  and  mak- 

^  Pickering's  Diary. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  479* 

ing  prisoners.  Sullivan,  too,  was  pressing  forward, 
and  Wavne  cominu;  gallnntlv  on.  when  —  as  some 
say  —  a  light-horseman  called  out  abruptly,  "We  are 
surrounded,"  and  Sullivan's  men,  struck  with  sud- 
den panic,  turned  and  fled.  Others  say  that  their 
ammunition  was  exhausted,  others  that  nobod}^ 
knew  why  or  how  the  alarm  began.  Wayne's  men, 
too,  suddenly  paused,  and  presently  began  to  fall 
back.  Washington,  as  he  saw  them  hurry  by,  point- 
ing to  their  empty  cartouch-boxes,  saw  that  the  day 
was  lost,  felt  that  they  were  running  from  victory. 

Then  the  British  left,  wheeling  promptly  round, 
came  back  to  the  support  of  their  right,  and  Greene 
found  himself  between  two  fires.  It  was  a  critical 
moment ;  everything  looking  strange  and  unintel- 
ligible through  the  fog ;  aids  riding  hither  and 
thither  with  orders,  but  stopped  at  ever}'-  step  by 
the  orchard-walls  and  garden-walls  which  their 
jaded  horses  were  no  longer  able  to  leap ;  the  fire 
on  the  right  suddenly  checked,  and  the  sounds  of 
conflict  passing  away  rapidlj^  up  the  road  as  if  the 
battle  had  suddenly  come  to  an  end.  But  it  was 
the  moment  that  strong  men  love ;  and  Greene 
w-as  never  stronger,  firmer,  or  more  self-possessed 
than  then.  The  day  was  lost,  but  his  division 
might,  must  be  saved.  Scott's  brigade  and  McDou- 
gal'Sjless  advanced  than  Muhlenberg's,  were  prompt- 
ly concentrated  upon  the  line  of  retreat.  But  Muh- 
lenbersr's  was  in  the  verv  midst  of  the  enemv,  and 
nothing  but  desperate  eflbrts  in  the  men,  and  con- 
summate coolness  in  the  officers,  could  save  them. 


'480  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

Tlicir  liundred  and  ten  prisoners  were  lost  again. 
Mathews,  who,  leading  the  advance,  was  in  the 
thickest  of  the  conflict,  was  surrounded  and  forced 
to  yield,  though  not  till  nearly  all  his  men  had  been 
killed  or  wounded,  and  he  himself  disabled  by  bay- 
onet-stabs. But  it  was  in  vain  that  the  British,  exult- 
ant now,  and  confident  of  victory,  pressed  on  ;  the 
Americans  had  withstood  as  impetuous  a  charge  as 
this  at  the  Brandywine,  and  come  off  unbroken,  and 
unbroken  they  came  off  this  dark  morning  too  ; 
Greene  carefully  gathering  them  in  hand  as  they  fell 
back,  and  as  soon  as  they  were  extricated  from  the 
enemy,  and  set  forward  on  their  road  campward, 
placing  himself  in  the  rear  to  bring  up  the  retreat. 
Not  one  of  his  cannon  was  lost.  Even  a  single 
piece,  that  had  been  dismounted,  was  put  into  a 
wagon  and  brought  safely  away.  And  to  divert 
the  enemy's  attention,  and  prevent  them  from  get- 
ting into  his  front,  he  divided  his  forces  at  a  fork  in 
the  road,  sending  part  of  them  forward  by  one  road 
and  takinij-  the  other  himself  with  the  rest. 

Cornwalhs  had  now  joined  the  pursuers  with 
fresh  troops,  and  they  pressed  on  with  new  vigor. 
Pulaski's  cavalry,  wlio  formed  a  rear-guard,  shrink- 
ing from  their  fire,  rode  over  the  second  division, 
which  JHoke  and  scattered,  mistaking  them  for  the 
enemy's  dragoons.  It  seemed  for  a  moment  as  if 
the  artillery  must  be  lost.  To  allay  the  confusion 
and  save  it,  Greene  ordered  the  men  to  lay  hold  of 
each  other's  hands,  and  thus  form  a  firm  line  again. 
The  balls,  all  this  time,  were  whistling  round  him, 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  481 

and  his  officers  looked  anxiously  at  his  reckless  ex- 
posure of  his  person.  But  he  well  knew  where  men 
turn  for  encouragement  in  danger,  and  what  a 
strengthening  power  there  is  in  a  firm  brow  and 
cheerful  countenance.  Queues  and  curls  were  the 
head-dress  of  the  day.  A  musket-ball  struck  off 
Captain's  Burnet's  queue  as  he  was  riding  at  the 
General's  side.  "  Burnet,"  said  Greene,  "  you  had 
better  jump  down,  if  you  have  time,  and  pick  up 
your  queue."  "  And  your  curl,  too.  General," 
answered  Burnet,  observing  that  another  ball  had 
just  taken  off  one  of  his  commander's  curls.  Greene 
laughed,  and  all  held  on  their  way,  lighter-hearted 
and  more  cheerful  for  the  well-timed  jest.  And  at 
last  Cornwallis,  unable  to  get  within  striking  dis- 
tance, and  suffering,  without  gaining  ground,  from 
the  American  artillery,  which  every  now  and  then 
sent  a  sharp  volley  into  his  ranks,  gave  over  the 
pursuit,  and  drew  off  his  men.  It  had  continued 
nearly  five  miles  from  the  battle-field,  and  fifteen 
more  heavy  miles  were  passed  before  the  weary 
army,  vanquished  again,  but  not  yet  disheartened, 
regained  the  encampment  from  whence  it  had  set 
forth  a  few  short  days  before  with  so  much  hope, 
and  so  many  comrades,  alas !  who  were  never  to 
return  to  it  again. 

1  The  authorities  for  the  battle  of  Vol.  XXIII.  p.  425,  his  manuscript 
Germantown  have  been  collected  and  Diary ;  and,  among  secondary  author- 
studied  by  Sparks  with  his  usual  dili-  ities,  Johnson's  Greene  and  Muhlen- 
gence.  I  have  also  consulted  Gordon,  berg's  Muhlenberg.  The  only  men- 
who  drew  from  original  sources  ;  Mar-  tion  of  the  battle  in  Greene's  papers 
shall,  who  was  present,  Pickering's  is  in  a  letter  to  Henry  Marchant,  and 
letter  in  the  North  American  Review,  the  one  to  Henry  Lee,  already  quoted. 

31 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

Beginning  of  the  Cabal  against  Washington.  —  Forts  on  the  Delaware. 

—  Christopher  Greene.  —  Operations  on  both  Sides  of  the  Delaware. 

—  Attack  of  Red  Bank.  —  Defeat  and  Death  of  Donop.  —  Rejoi- 
cin<T3  of  the  Americans.  —  Colonel  Greene  thanked  b}-  Con<rress  and 
congratulated  by  Washington  and  General  Greene.  —  Washington 
anxious  to  attack  the  British.  —  Movements  for  the  Support  of 
Fort  Mifflin.  —  Attack  and  Fall  of  Fort  Mifflin. 

4  NOTHER  defeat  following  close  upon  the 
■^^  defeat  of  the  Brandy  wine,  close  upon  toil- 
some marches  and  countermarches,  close  upon  the 
loss  of  Philadelphia !  And  the  Northern  army, 
meanwhile  was  boldly  breasting  the  great  wave  of 
invasion,  and  fighting  decisive  battles,  and  prepar- 
ing to  strike  the  last  crushing  blow.  Congressmen 
were  very  indignant  that  Washington  and  his 
advisers  should  blunder  so,  and  display  so  little 
enterprise ;  and  among  these  lay  critics  were  John 
Adams,  who,  in  September,  professed  himself  "  sick 
of  Fabian  systems  in  all  quarters " ;  ^  and,  in 
October,  rejoiced  '•  that  the  glory  of  turning  the 
tide  of  arms  was  not  immediately  due  to  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief";^ and  James  Lovell,  who  wrote 
in  November,  "  our  affairs  are  Fabiused  into  a  very 
di.sagreeablc  posture,"  and  "  you  will  be  astonished 

1  Letters  to  his  Wife,  Vol.  I.  p.  265.  ^  jbjd.,  Vol.  II.  p.  14. 


ni7.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL   GREENE.  483 

when  you  come  to  know  accurately  what  numbers 
have  at  one  thne  and  another  been  collected  near 
Philadelphia  to  wear  out  stockings,  shoes,  and 
breeches."  ^  Generals,  too,  shook  their  heads 
gravely,  Pennsylvania  generals  in  particular,  who 
thought  that  Philadelphia  ought  to  be  preserved 
at  all  hazards.  Foremost  among  these  was  Mif- 
flin, who,  neglecting  his  duties  as  Quartermaster- 
General,^  had  retired  to  Heading  in  disgust  at 
Washington's  refusal  the  summer  before  to  march 
directly  to  Philadelphia,  instead  of  waiting  to 
know  whither  Howe  was  going.^  "  According  to 
him,  the  ear  of  the  Commander-in-chief  was  exclu- 
sively possessed  by  Greene  "  ;  "  neither  the  most 
wise,  the  most  brave,  nor  most  patriotic  of  counsel- 
lors." ^  Even  Wayne,  —  though  in  a  different  spirit, 
— the  spirit  of  Reed  in  December,  lTT6,not  the  spirit 
of  Mifflin  or  Conway  at  any  time,  —  complained  to 
Gates  of  the  loss  of  Fort  Mifflin  and  of  Washington's 
"  listening  too  much  to  some  counsel."  ^ 

And  thus  from  Congress  and  from  camp  eyes 
were  turned  hopefully  towards  Gates,  and  letters, 
some  with  and  some  without  the  writer's  name, 
went  northward  to  encourage  the  fortunate  general 
in  drawing  flattering  comparisons  between  himself 
and  the  Commander-in-chief  All  through  the  last 
months  of  the  year  this  unholy  spirit  was  at  work, 

1  Letter  to  Gates.  —  York,  Novcm-     General."  —  To   President   of    Con- 
ber  27,  1777.     Gates  papers,  N.  Y.     gress,  December  23,  1777. 

H.  Society.  ^  Greene  MSS.  Letters  of  Febru- 

2  Sparks,   Vol.  V.   198.      "Since     ruary  7,  1778. 

the  month  of  July  we  have  had  no         *  Graydon,  p.  299. 
assistance   from    the  Quartermaster-         ^  Gates  Papers. 


484  LIFE   OF   NATUANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

active  and  hopeful  in  Congress,  but  never  very 
hopeful  in  camp,  and  hated  wherever  seen  in  the 
country.  IIow  it  was  conceived  in  wounded 
vanity,  how  it  was  fostered  by  untimely  jealousies, 
how  it  grew  for  a  while  in  obscurity,  and  how  it 
shrunk  and  melted  away  in  the  light,  I  shall  pres- 
ently tell  as  fully  as  my  materials  will  allow ;  for 
Washington's  and  Greene's  names  are  so  blended 
in  it  that  it  belongs  equally  to  the  story  of  both. 
Meanwhile  it  behooves  us,  as  we  follow  Greene's 
steps  through  tlie  remainder  of  this  anxious  year, 
to  keep  our  eyes  upon  this  deepening  cloud,  and 
remember  with  what  a  dark  menace  it  hung  upon 
an  horizon  already  so  dark. 

Disappointed,  though  not  disheartened,  by  the 
result  of  his  bold  attack  upon  the  British  forces  at 
Germantown,  Washington  now  directed  his  atten- 
tion more  anxiously  to  the  defences  of  the  Dela- 
ware. Howe,  it  was  well  known,  already  found  it 
difficult  to  feed  his  army  in  the  half-beleaguered 
city,^  and  could  the  forts  hold  out  a  few  weeks 
longer,  till  cold  weather  and  ice  came  to  their  aid, 
he  might  be  compelled  to  return  ignominiously  to 
his  ships,  or  fight  his  way,  at  great  peril,  through 
the  Jerseys  to  New  York.  These  forts,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  were  Fort  Mercer  at  Red  Bank  on 
the  Jersey  shore,  and  Fort  Mifflin  on  Great  Mud  or 
Fort  Island  in  the  Delaware  ;  both  of  them  about 

1  Life  of  President  Reed,  Vol.  L  six  dollars  Continental  money;  beef, 

p. 33 1.    "  Salt,  four  dollars  per  bushel  very  poor,  from  Is.  6d.  to  2s.  ed.  per 

(h:ird  money)  ;  butter,  one  dollar  per  pound  ;  flour  not  to  be  purehased." 
pound  ;  sugar,  Is.  td.  per  pound,  or 


1777.]  LIJFE    OF   NATH.\NAEL    GREENE.  485 

seven  miles  below  Philadelphia,  and  near  enough 
to  the  American  camp  for  their  heavy  guns  to 
be  distinctly  heard  there.  The  defence  of  Fort 
Mifflin  was  intrusted  to  Baron  Arendt,  "colonel  of 
the  German  battalion,  an  officer  of  experience  and 
ability,"  ^  and  in  his  absence,  for  he  was  compelled 
by  illness  to  leave  soon  after  assuming  the  com- 
mand, to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith  of  Maryland  ; 
that  of  Fort  Mercer  to  our  old  friend.  Colonel 
Christopher  Greene  of  Ehode  Island. 

Reinforcements  were  already  on  their  way  to  the 
main  army,  both  from  the  North  and  the  South, 
when  the  battle  of  Germantown  was  fought.  Among 
the  reinforcements  from  the  North  was  Varnum's 
brigade  ;  and  while  they  were  yet  on  their  way,  an 
express  from  Washington  met  them  with  a  letter 
of  the  7th  for  Varnum,  saying  :  — 

"  I  desire  you  "will  immediately  on  the  receipt  of  this 
detach  Colonel  Greene's  and  Colonel  Angell's  regiments 
with  their  baggage,  with  orders  to  throw  themselves  into 

the  fort  at  Red  Bank   upon   the   Jersey  shore 

General  Greene  has  written  a  particular  letter  to  Colonel 
Greene,  in  which  he  will  find  instructions,"  "  Upon  the 
whole,  sir,"  end  these  instructions,  "  you  will  be  pleased 
to  remember,  that  the  post  with  which  you  are  now 
intrusted  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  America,  and 
demands  every  exertion  of  which  you  are  capable  for  its 
security  and  defence.  The  whole  defence  of  the  Dela- 
ware absolutely  depends  upon  it ;  and  consequently  all 
the  enemy's  hopes  of  keeping  Philadelphia,  and  finally 
succeeding  in  the  object  of  the  present  campaign.     In- 

1  General  to  Colonel  Greene,  October  18,  1777.  —  Greene  MSS. 


486  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  Ll"7. 

flucnccd  by  these  considerations,  I  doubt  not  your  regard 
to  the  service,  and  your  own  reputation,  will  prompt 
you  to  every  possible  elTort  to  accomplish  the  important 
end  of  your  trust,  and  frustrate  the  intentions  of  the 
enemy. ^ 

"  I  arrived  here  on  Saturday  last,  with  my  regiment," 
writes  Greene  from  Red  Bank  on  the  14th.  "  They  were 
much  fatigued  with  the  march,  as  I  forced  thirty-five  miles 
one  day.  They  are  now  in  high  spirits,  and  go  to  their 
duty  with  the  greatest  cheerfulness.  The  enclosed  return 
shows  our  strength.  I  have  found  it  necessary  to  contract 
the  fort ;  but  it  is  now  too  large  for  our  numbers,  as  we 

have  very  little  to  expect  from  the  militia I  find 

it  necessary  for  the  security  of  the  post,  to  keep  my  men 
all  on  fatigue  duty.  This,  I  doubt,  will  cause  them  to  be 
less  spirited  in  action,  if  I  should  be  under  the  necessity 
to  continue  it,  which  must  be  the  case  unless  I  am  rein- 
forced. The  post  I  have  in  charge  I  am  determined  to 
defend,  with  the  small  number  I  command,  to  the  last 
extremity  ;  yet  I  doubt  my  number  is  much  too  small  to 
answer  your  Excellency's  expectations." 

Meanwhile  every  effort  was  made  "  to  divert  the 
enemy's  attention  and  force."  ^     On  the  IGth  of  Oc- 

'  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.  is  hardly  probable  that  "in  which  he 

86.     As    the   "particular    letter  of  will  find"  means  only  in  the  sanie 

General   Greene"   is   referred    to  as  envelope  with  Greene's  letter;  for  in 

containing  Colonel  Greene's  instruc-  the  regular  order  they  would   have 

tions,  is  it  not  probable  that  the  in-  been  enclosed  in  the  letter  to  Var- 

structions  put)!i>hed  by  Mr.  Sparks  num,  the  commander  of  the  brigade, 

arc  really  a  letter  of  Greene  in  the  rather  than  to  the  subordinate  officer 

form  of  instructions,  and  written  in  whom  Varnum  was  to  detach.     The 

Washington's  name?     If  not,  why  question,  however,  is   one   of  mere 

should  Washintrton  <:pcak  of  it  as  "a  curiosity,  having  no  importance,  ex- 

pariiculnr  letter  "  containing  instruc-  cejit  as  it  illustrates  the  intimacy  of 

tions,  when  he  had  already  given  in-  Greene's  relations  with  Washington, 

siriictions  himself  of  the  same  date,  2  Washington  to  President  of  Con- 

and  covering  the  whole  ground  ?     It  gress.  —  Sparks,  Vol.  V.  p.  94. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  487 

tober  Washington  advanced  again  to  the  ground 
Tvhich  he  held  before  his  attack  upon  Germantown. 
Light  parties  familiar  with  the  roads  were  kept 
hovering  around  the  enemy,  ready  at  every  op- 
portunity to  strike  at  his  foragers  and  intercept 
his  supplies.  On  one  occasion,  Greene  was  ordered 
to  cross  the  Schuylkill,  and  attack  a  supply  train, 
which  was  said  to  be  on  the  road  to  Chester  with 
an  escort  of  fifteen  hundred  men.  But,  remember- 
ing the  disastrous  effects  of  rain  on  the  American 
cartouch-boxes  at  the  Warren  Tavern  a  month 
before,  Washins-ton  added  in  his  instructions : 
"  Come  back  if  it  rains."  And  rain  coming  on,  as 
had  been  apprehended,  Greene,  obedient  to  his 
orders,  retraced  his  steps.  Next,  a  strong  detach- 
ment was  sent  out  under  McDougal,  and,  upon 
more  accurate  information  of  the  enemy's  designs, 
reinforced  to  four  thousand  men.  They  advanced 
"  in  great  spirits,"  marching  most  of  the  night,  to 
attack  a  post  which  the  enemy  was  forming  at 
Gray's  Ferry,  for  the  protection  of  their  bridge, 
but  found  the  post  deserted,  and  the  bridge  de- 
stroyed. 

These  were  anxious  days  for  Greene,  for  he  had 
no  common  stake  in  his  namesake's  success.  It 
was  doubtless  he  who  had  recommended  him  for 
that  important  trust.  In  that  little  garrison  of 
four  hundred  men  were  playmates  of  his  boy- 
hood, companions  of  his  youth,  friends  of  his  man- 
hood. It  was  but  eleven  months  since  another 
post,  stronger  by  nature  than  this  could  be  made 


488  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENK  [1777. 

by  art,  lind  fallen  in  a  few  hours,  with  all  eyes  fixed 
upon  it,  as  they  were  now  fixed  upon  Red  Bank ; 
and  many  had  laid  the  loss  at  his  door.  What  if 
Christopher  Greene  should  fail  as  Magaw  had 
failed?  What  if  the  Rhode-Islanders  should  be 
panic-stricken,  as  more  than  half  the  garrison  of 
Fort  Washington  had  been  panic-stricken  ?  ^  0, 
how  his  enemies  and  Washington's  enemies  would 
rejoice  ;  and  with  what  a  redoublement  of  strength 
■would  they  follow  up  their  nefarious  machinations ! 
It  was  a  grave  responsibility  that  he  had  assumed ; 
but  he  never  shrunk  from  responsibility.  He  still 
believed  that  Fort  Washino;ton  miu;ht  have  been 
defended.  He  knew  that  Fort  Mercer  would 
be:  — 

"  This  will  be  handed  you,"  he  writes  to  his  kinsman, 
from  the  camp  at  Mantuchen,  on  the  IStli,  "  by  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Greene,  who  commands  a  detachment 
from  my  division,  sent  down  as  a  reinforcement  for  the 
posts  on  the  Delaware.  They  are  exceeding  good  troops  ; 
and  are  to  be  depended  on  as  much  as  any  troops  in  the 
army.  I  am  in  hopes,  with  this  additional  strength,  you 
will  be  able  to  baffle  all  the  attempts  of  the  enemy  to 
dislodge  you.  The  Baron  Arendt,  colonel  of  the  German 
battalion,  an  officer  of  experience  and  ability,  is  coming 
down  to  take  the  command  at  Fort  Mifflin,  agreeable  to 
the  determination  of  the  council  in  the  first  instance. 
He  is  thought  to  be  an  officer  of  great  spirit.  Remember 
me  to  all  friends. 

"  Your  affectionate, 

"N.  Greene." 

1  Greene  to  John  Brown,  September  11,  1778,  quoted  above,  p.  275. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  489 

This  other  Colonel  Greene  was  a  Virginian,  a 
resolute,  sturdy  man,  whom  we  shall  meet  at 
Guilford,  and  on  the  Reedy  Fork.  Greene  had 
proved  him  already  at  the  Brandywine  and  Ger- 
mantown :  and  would  have  been  srlad  to  have  had 
him  at  his  kinsman's  side  in  the  dangerous  hour, 
now  close  at  hand. 

But  before  day  on  the  22d,  and  before  this  rein- 
forcement had  arrived,  word  came  to  the  guard  at 
Timber  Creek  bridge,  that  the  enemy  were  coming 
down  upon  them  from  Haddonfield,  four  battalions 
of  Hessians,  twelve  hundred  veterans,  with  the 
veteran  Count  Donop  at  their  head.  The  guard 
promptly  took  up  the  bridge ;  and  the  enemy,  un- 
able to  ford  the  stream,  were  compelled  to  make 
a  four  miles'  march  up  its  right  bank  to  another 
bridge.  Before  they  could  do  this,  regain  the 
main  road  and  reach  the  fort,  it  was  already  noon. 

The  little  garrison  was  on  the  lookout  for  them, 
and,  peering  curiously  through  the  embrasures  and 
over  the  parapet,  could  see  them  gathering  on  the 
skirts  of  a  w^ood  within  cannon-shot  of  the  fort, 
and  preparing  themselves  for  the  onset.  Greene,  to 
inspirit  his  men,  mounted  the  rampart,  and  walked 
up  and  down,  taking  a  last  survey  of  his  defences ; 
and  then  turning  calmly  to  look  at  the  enemy 
through  his  little  pocket  spyglass,  —  the  only  field- 
glass  of  those  days.  "  Fire  low,  men,"  said  he,  as 
he  came  down ;  "  they  have  a  broad  belt  just  above 
their  hips,  —  aim  at  that."  ^     The  original  fort  had 

1 1  draw  these  statements  from  well-     thorities,  —  Dr.  Peter  Turner,  of  East 
attested  tradition.     One  of  the   au-     Greenwich,  —  in  his  description  of  the 


490  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

been  planned  for  a  large  garrison ;  but,  under  the 
direction  of  the  gallant  Plessis  de  Mauduit,  a  skil- 
ful engineer,  Greene  had  reduced  it  to  a  pentago- 
nal redoubt,  with  "  a  good  earthen  rampart,  a 
ditch,  and  abbatis  in  front  of  the  ditch."  ^  Within 
this  his  four  hundred  men  could  work  their  four- 
teen cannon,  and  use  their  muskets  with  free  room 
to  move  in,  and  not  too  much  space  to  guard.  As 
his  practised  eye  ran  over  their  ranks,  he  felt  his 
heart  swell  with  pride.  There  might  be  a  few 
doubtful  ones  among  the  men,  but  the  officers  he 
knew  bv  trial ;  and  he  knew  that  in  moments  like 
these  it  is  the  officer  that  makes  the  man.  There 
was  vouno;  Samuel  Ward,  who  had  followed  him  to 
Cambridge  and  Quebec  as  captain,  and  now  stood 
by  his  side  as  his  major, —  slender,  but  tall,  vigor- 
ous, and  erect,  with  a  keen  flash  in  his  eye,  and  im- 
movable firmness  on  his  lips  and  brow.  There  was 
Simeon  Thaj^er,  a  soldier  of  the  old  French  war,  like 
Ward,  his  companion  at  Cambridge,  trained  to  en- 
durance in  the  wilderness,  and  proved  in  the  night 
assault  upon  Quebec.  There  was  Israel  Angell, 
another  tried  man  and  true ;  and  the  two  impetu- 
ous 01ney.s,  Jeremiah  and  Stephen ;  and  there,  too, 
was  young  Sylvanus  Shaw,  of  Newport,  looking  for 
the  last  time  upon  the  noonday  sun.  There  they 
stood,  friends  and  proved  companions  all  of   them, 

assault,  nlways  <lwelt  with  emphasis  though    a   verv    short    man,  pacing 

upon    Greene's    apiicarunre    on    the  the  room  with  the  air  and  bearing  a 

rampart,  often  springing  to  his  feet,  giant. 

as  lie  warmc.I  with  the  narrative,  my         2  ChastcUux's  Travels. 

coDsin,  S.  W.  Greene  tells  rae,  and, 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  491 

and  strong  in  the  strength  which  friendship  and 
companionship  inspire  in  the  hour  of  danger.^ 
Well  might  Greene's  heart  beat  high  as  he  looked 
around  him  ujDon  these  brave  men,  and  remem- 
bered what  was  required  at  his  hands  and  theirs. 

Four  hours  wore  feverishly  aw\ay,  while  the  ene- 
my were  planting  their  cannon  and  resting  them- 
selves from  their  morning's  march.  At  last,  at 
half  past  four,  two  men  were  seen  approaching,  an 
officer  with  a  flag,  and  a  drummer  marching  before 
him,  and  beating  his  drum  as  he  had  been  used  to 
beat  it  in  his  native  Hesse,  where  drum  and  bayonet 
gave  the  law.  The  Americans  felt  their  veins 
tingle  as  they  saw  his  arrogant  gesture,  but  they 
sent  Lieutenant-Colonel  Olney  to  meet  him,  and 
their  blood  boiled  hotter  still  when  they  heard  the 
officer's  arrogant  words  :  "  The  King  of  England 
orders  his  rebellious  subjects  to  lay  down  their 
arms,  and  they  are  warned  that  if  they  stand  the 
battle,  no  quarter  whatever  will  be  given  them." 
"  We  shall  neither  ask  for  quarter,  nor  expect  it, 
and  shall  defend  the  fort  to  the  last  extremity," 
answered  Olney,  and  he  had  hardly  regained  the 
works  when  the  enemy  opened  their  fire  from  their 
cannon  on  the  skirt  of  the  wood.  In  an  instant 
the  air  was  filled  with  the  dust  and  gravel  that 
flew  in  clouds  from  the  top  of  the  breastwork  as 

1  A  principle  of  human  nature  not  range  his  troops  so  that "  kindred  may 
overlooked  by  Homer,  who  makes  support  kindred  and  tribe  tribe  "  :  — 
Nestor  advise    Agamemnon    to    ar- 

Qs  (pprjTprj  cf)pT]Tpr](f)iv  dprjyrj,  (jivXTj  Se  (pvXois- 

Iliad,  II.  363. 


402  LIFE   OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

the  balls  struck  it  in  swift  succession.  A  few  heads 
were  struck  too.  Then  all  was  silent  again  but 
the  heavy  tread  of  trained  steps,  and  the  stern 
words  of  officers  to  their  men,  as,  with  the  precision 
which  years  of  toilsome  drilling  had  given  them, 
the  Hessians  advanced  to  the  assault.  A  few  mo- 
ments brought  them  to  the  first  intrenchment, 
which  had  been  abandoned  in  contracting  the  fort, 
and  finding  it  empty,  though  entire,  and  seeing  no 
signs  of  the  Americans,  who  lay  silent  behind  their 
inner  works,  they  raised  a  loud  huzza,  waved  their 
hats  over  their  heads,  and  rushed  on  to  the  second 
intrenchment.  The  drummer  beat  his  liveliest 
march,  and  the  officer  who  had  borne  the  insolent 
summons  was  again  seen  near  him  at  the  head  of 
the  advance,  —  a  Hessian,  some  say,  and  others,  an 
Englishman,  who  had  been  sent  with  the  Hessians 
as  interpreter.^  But  the  silence  of  the  Ameri- 
cans was  the  silence  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  here,  as 
there,  a  row  of  black  tubes  might  have  been  seen 
reaching  over  the  top  of  the  parapet  and  following 
the  advancing  column,  as  the  eye  of  the  tiger  fol- 
lows its  victim ;  and  here,  too,  no  sooner  were  the 
enemy  within  range,  than  the  same  deadly  fire 
darted  fprth  from  the  earthen  mound,  and  the  Hes- 
sian column  shook,  fearfully  rent  and  yawning  w^ith 
deep    gaps.     Down  went   the    drummer  headlong 

1  Heath  snys,  "  A  very  capable  ad-  witliout  the  work,  and  where  he  had 

jutant  whom  Donop  sent,  in  order,  if  no  opportunity  to  see  more  tlian  tlie 

possible,   to   get  some   idea    of   the  ditch  and  parapet  on   that  side."  — 

work  ;    hut  the  commandant  of  the  Memoirs,  pp.  137,  138. 
fort  took  care  to  have  him  stopped 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  49 


o 


among-  the  foremost,  —  down  the  bearer  of  the 
bloody  threat.  Still  the  wavering  ranks  pressed 
on,  treading  now  in  slippery  blood,  and  stumbling 
over  mangled  bodies,  and,  coming  close  up  to  the 
abbatis,  began  to  tear  away  the  branches.  But  faster 
and  deadlier  came  the  whizzing  balls  in  front  and 
on  the  flank,  where  a  part  of  the  old  curtain  form- 
ed a  projection,  behind  which  Stephen  Olney  stood 
with  his  trained  marksmen,  raking  the  ditch  at 
every  fire.  Vainly  did  the  poor  Hessians  stagger 
forward  and  pluck  madly  at  the  branches  to  open 
themselves  a  passage.  Vainly  did  their  officers 
bring  them  back,  again  and  again,  to  the  fatal 
ditch.  Officers  and  men  fell  alike  before  the  with- 
ering fire,  some  in  heaps  one  upon  the  other,  some 
among  the  boughs  they  were  trying  to  tear  away. 
"  Look,  Captain,  and  see  me  shoot,"  said  Sweetzer, 
one  of  Stephen  Olney's  men.  "  I  indulged  him 
four  or  five  times,"  says  Olney,  "  and  his  object  fell. 
I  then  directed  him  to  fire  at  an  officer,  and  he 
only  staggered  a  little."  Not  so,  poor  Donop,  who 
came  proudly  into  the  battle,  like  Nelson  at  Trafal- 
gar, with  his  glittering  star,  which  he  had  won  in 
other  battles,  on  his  breast.  It  caught  the  eye  of 
one  of  these  trained  marksmen,  and  taking  deadly 
aim,  he  hit  the  bold  Hessian  in  the  thigh,  shattering 
it  with  a  mortal  wound.  Still,  discipline  held  the 
thinned  ranks  together.  There  was  yet  a  chance 
of  success  on  the  river-side,  and  towards  it  they 
turned  their  desperate  fury.  But  this  brought 
them  between   two  fires,    that    of  the  small-arms 


494  LIFE   OF  NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

from  the  fort,  and  that  of  Hazleton's  galleys  from 
the  water.  Courage  and  discipline  were  vain  here, 
and,  breaking  once  more,  they  fled  in  ho^Deless 
confusion. 

Meanwhile,  the  second  column  had  passed  the 
abbatis  on  the  south  side  of  the  redoubt,  crossed 
the  ditch,  and  mounted  the  berme.  But  here  the 
skilful  Mauduit,  to  make  the  defence  sure,  had 
formed  a  projecting  framework  of  horizontal  stakes, 
set  firm  in  the  embankment,  and  pointed  sharp  at 
the  outer  end.  At  first,  some  of  the  garrison,  re- 
membering the  eflfect  of  the  enemy's  cannon  when 
the  fiij-ht  beo:an,  were  afraid  to  show  their  heads 
above  the  parapet,  and,  raising  their  guns  as  high 
as  they  could,  fired  downwards  at  a  venture.  But 
Jeremiah  Olney  soon  brought  them  to  reason  with 
his  hanger,  belaboring  their  backs  with  it  till  they 
were  glad  to  take  aim,  as  their  braver  companions 
did  ;  and  before  this  fire,  too,  the  enemy  soon 
quailed  and  broke,  some  making  their  wa}'  back 
across  the  ditch,  while  some  preferred  to  take  their 
chance  as  prisoners,  rather  than  to  run  such  a 
gauntlet  again.  When  Mauduit  came  out  to  re- 
pair the  abbatis,  he  found  some  twenty  of  them 
standing  close  up  to  the  shelving  of  the  parapet, 
in  order  to  keep  themselves  out  of  sight.  In  forty 
minutes  all  was  over;  four  hundred  Hessians  lay 
dead  or  wounded  outside  of  the  redoubt,  thirty- 
two  Americans  within ;  amongst  them  Sylvanus 
Shaw,  whom  death  had  spared  when  Montgomery 
fell,  and  Arnold  and  Lamb  were  wounded  under 
the  walls  ol  Quebec. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  495 

The  day  had  been  warm,  but  the  heavy  air  from 
the  river  and  the  woods  grew  cold  when  the  sun 
was  down.  It  was  very  sad,  say  those  who  saw 
them,  to  see' the  dead  and  the  dying  as  they  lay  in 
heaps  one  upon  the  other.  It  was  still  sadder  to 
hear  the  doleful  cries  and  groans  of  the  Avounded 
as  the  keen  nig-ht-air  bit  into  the  bullet-holes  and 
sword-gashes  wdth  its  frosty  breath.  "  But, "  sa3's 
an  eyewitness,  "I  could  not  but  remember  what 
our  fate  would  have  been  had  they  conquered. " 
Stephen  Olney,  who  commanded  the  night  guard, 
had  some  of  them  carried  into  a  little  floorless  hut, 
and  laid  beside  the  fire,  "  which  rendered  them," 
says  he,  "  a  little  more  comfortable  than  in  the 
open  air."  Well  do  I  remember  the  surgeon  who 
was  busy  among  those  wounded  men  through  the 
long  hours  of  the  autumn  night,  —  Peter  Turner,  of 
East  Greenwich,  a  hale  old  man  in  my  early  child- 
hood, still  following  his  noble  art,  and  ministering 
to  the  sick  and  suffering ;  and  well  too  do  I  re- 
member the  strange  feelings,  half  awe,  at  coming 
so  near  to  the  mystery  of  death,  half  boyish  enjoy- 
ment of  martial  sights  and  sounds,  with  which  I 
followed  the  muffled  drum  at  his  funeral,  and  saw 
his  brethren  of  the  Kentish  Guards  fire  their  fare- 
well over  his  grave.^ 

1  This  name,  so  familiar  in  Rhode  at  Newbern,  N.  C,  in  the  line  of  his 

Island,  reappears  with  new  honors  in  duty;  one.  Captain  William  G.  Turn- 

the  war  for  the  Union:  four  of  the  old  er,  having  been  disabled  by  a  severe 

Surgeon's  grandsons,  out  of  a  family  wound  at  the  battle  of  Fredericks- 

of    six,  having    served    in   it   from  burg,  and   the   other  two   returning 

the  beginning  ;  one  of  them,  George  uninjured  to  civil  life  at  the  close  of 

r.    Turner,    dying    of    yellow-fever  the  war.     Nothing  but  the  insufficient 


496  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

Maudiiit  was  one  of  the  earliest  to  go  the  rounds 
%yhen  the  battle  was  over.  As  he  was  passing  one 
of  the  bloody  heaps,  he  heard  a  voice  from  it  say- 
ino",  "AVhoever  you  are,  draw  me  hence."  It  was 
impossible  to  see  who  it  was  by  the  faint  starlight, 
but  he  ordered  the  soldiers  who  were  with  him  to 
take  up  the  wounded  man  and  carry  him  into  the 
redoubt.  When  he  was  come  within,  and  they 
looked  upon  him  closer  by  the  light  of  their  lan- 
terns, they  saw  that  it  was  Count  Donop,  the 
Hessian  colonel.  Some  of  them  called  to  mind 
the  bloody  words  that  had  passed  his  pale  lips 
hardly  two  hours  before.  "Well,"  said  the}^,  "  it 
is  determined  to  give  no  quarter."  "  I  am  in  your 
hands,"  answered  the  unhappy  man ;  "  revenge 
yourselves."  But  the  vengeance  they  sought  was 
in  binding  up  his  wounds,  and  placing  him  under 
the  care  of  a  tender  nurse  in  a  neighboring  farm- 
house, where  three  days  afterwards  he  died,  sa^'ing, 
in  French,  to  Mauduit,  with  his  last  breath  :  "  It  is 
finishing  a  noble  career  early.  I  die  the  victim  of 
my  ambition,  and  of  the  avarice  of  my  sovereign."  ^ 

health  of  one,  and  tlie  imperative  do-  "  Major  Thayer  ....  was  do- 
mestic duties  of  tlic  other,  prevented  tached  al)out  the  dusk  of  the  evening 
the  two  remaining  brothers  from  tak-  with  a  small  force,  to  bring  in  the 
ing  up  arms.  wounded.  As  he  was  employed  in 
1  In  this  account  of  Donop's  death  this  humane  service,  two  Hessian  gren- 
I  have  followed  Mauduit"s  narrative,  adiers  approached  and  told  him  their 
as  reported  by  Chastellux,  Vol.  I.  commanding  officer,  Count  Donop, 
p.  200,  &c.  The  account  in  Stone's  was  lying  wounded  in  the  edge  of 
Memoir  of  Thayer,  which  is  drawn  the  woods,  near  where  their  artillery 
directly  from  Thayer's  papers,  dif-  played.  Suspecting  an  attempt  to 
fers  from  it  so  materially  that  I  decoy  him  into  an  ambuscade,  he 
give  it  in  full  without  attempting  to  placed  them  under  guard,  telling 
decide  between  the  two  claimants  :  them  if  they  deceived  him  they  would 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  497 

And  when  the  enemy  were  all  gone,  and  the 
sounds  of  the  conflict  had  died  away,  and  the  dead 
and  the  wounded  were  numbered,  "  Take  your 
pen,"  said  Colonel  Greene  to  Ward,  "and  tell  his 
Excellency  what  we  have  done."  And  Ward  took 
his  pen  and  wrote  that  letter  which  Mr.  Sparks  has 
published  in  the  fifth  volume  of  his  Washington, 
so  modest  and  calm,  and  almost  severe,  in  its  sim- 
plicity, that  when  I  read  it,  it  seems  to  me  as  if 
I  were  still  listening  to  the  calm  tones  of  his  voice, 
as  when,  in  my  inquisitive  boyhood,  I  listened  to 
his  stories  of  Red  Bank  and  Quebec. 

Loud  and  heartfelt  was  the  rejoicing  in  the 
American  camp  when  that  letter  reached  it, 

"  I  heartily  congratulate  you  upon  this  happy  event," 
wrote  Washington  to  the  successful  Colonel,  "  and  beg 
you  will  accept  my  most  particular  thanks,  and  present 
the  same  to  your  whole  garrison,  both  officers  and  men. 
Assure  them  that  their  gallantry  and  good  behavior  meet 
my  warmest  approbation.  "  ^ 

Congress  "  Resolved^  That  Congress  have  an  high 
sense  of  the  merit  of  Colonel  Greene  and  the  officers  and 
men  under  his  command  in  their  gallant  defence  of  the 
fort  at  Red  Bank  on  Delaware  River,  and  that  an  ele- 
gant sword  be  provided  by  the  Board  of  War,  and  pre- 
sented to  Colonel  Greene."  ^ 

immediatel}'  be  put  to  death  ;  to  this  take  him  in  a  blanket,  and  carry  him 
they  readily  assented,  and  conducted  with  all  possible  care  to  the  fort, 
him  to  the  place  where  they  found  where  he  was  received  by  Colonel 
the  Count  lying  under  a  tree  mortally  Greene."  —  Stone's  Invasion  of  Can- 
wounded.  The  Count  asked  the  ada  in  1775,  p.  7.5. 
Major  if  he  was  an  officer,  and  of  ^  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p. 
what  rank,  of  which  being  satisfied,  111. 

he   surrendered   himself   a   prisoner.  ^  jQ^mals  of  Congress,  Vol.  II.  p. 

Major   Thayer  caused   six    men   to  312.     Tuesday,  Nov.  4,  1777. 

32 


498  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

"  With  the  greatest  pleasure  I  congratulate  you  on 
your  late  brave  and  successful  defence,"  writes  General 
Greene  to  his  kinsman.  "  Tlie  attempt  was  bold,  and 
the  defence  noble.  Honor  and  laurels  will  be  the  re- 
ward of  the  garrison."  ^ 

The  hopes  of  the  Americans  were  greatly  raised  ; 
could  the  defence  be  prolonged  till  the  arrival  of 
reinforcements  from  the  North,  Howe  would  yet  be 
driven  back  to  his  ships.  But  it  was  not  to  be  ex- 
pected that  he  would  accept  Donop's  defeat  as  a 
final  decision  of  the  contest,  and  permit  the  Ameri- 
cans to  retain  their  hold  upon  the  Delaware  with- 
out fio-htinoj  hard  for  it. 

"  Griffin  informs  me,"  Greene  continues  (and  with  what 
a  pleasant  recollection  of  peaceful  Coventry  this  name 
comes  to  us  !)  "  you  are  in  great  fear  of  a  siege,  and  it  will 
be  impossible  to  defend  the  place  any  length  of  time 
should  the  enemy  lay  siege  to  it.  I  am  sorry  to  learn  that 
the  garrison  are  growing  sickly.  Their  labor  and  fatigue 
must  be  intolerable.  A  strong  reinforcement  will  be  sent 
you  immediately.  I  believe  three  hundred  have  marched 
to-day,  and  more  will  march  to-morrow.  You  may  de- 
pend that  my  influence,  so  far  as  it  extends,  shall  be 
exerted  to  relieve  the  anxiety  of  the  garrison." 

Great  efforts  had  been  made,  and  were  still  made, 
to  call  out  the  militia,  but  with  very  imperfect  suc- 
cess, few  answering  the  call,  and  most  of  those  few 
displaying  so  little  spirit  that  Colonel  Greene 
wrote  there  was  very  "  little  to  expect  from 
them";^  and  Washington  even  went  so  far  as  to 

1  General  Greene  to  Colonel  Chris-        ^  Sparks's  Correspondence  of  the 
tophcr    Greene,    October    26,    1777.     Revolution,  Vol.  II.  p.  4. 
Greene  MSS. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  499 

direct  Yarnnm  not  to  bring  them  into  the  forts, 
"  for  I  am  of  opinion  they  would  rather  dismay 
than  assist  the  Continental  garrison."  ^  Varnum, 
too,  was  sent  into  Jersey  with  a  strong  detachment 
to  hold  the  ground  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Dela- 
ware, and  protect  the  forts  from  another  assault  on 
the  land  side.  But  what  Washington  most  desired 
was  to  attack  the  British  general  himself  and  drive 
him  from  Philadelphia  by  main  force.  Light  par- 
ties were  still  kept  hovering  around  him  ;  spies 
went  backwards  and  forwards  with  prompt  notice 
of  every  movement  ;  his  best  officers,  Greene 
among  them,  were  sent  out  to  reconnoitre.  But  to 
attack  with  any  prospect  of  success  required  more 
strength  than  he  could  bring  to  bear  upon  such 
stromi;  works  as  Howe  had  surrounded  himself 
with.  That  strength  could  only  come  from  the 
victorious  army  of  the  North,  and  thither  Hamilton 
was  despatched  to  urge  the  immediate  march  of 
strong  reinforcements. 

Meanwhile  Howe's  plans  were  ripening.  Fort 
Mifflin's  turn  was  come.  Too  large  for  its  garri- 
son, —  never  strong,  —  built  on  a  low  mud-bank, 
miscalled  an  island,  which  at  high  tide  was  always 
more  than  half  under  water,  with  five  batteries 
of  eighteen,  twenty-four,  and  thirty-two  pounders 
within  five  hundred  yards  of  its  walls,  and  an  un- 
wholesome atmosphere  undermining  the  health  of 
its  garrison,  how  long  could  it  be  expected  to  hold 
out  against  the  overwhelming  force  that  was 
slowly  gathering  around  it  ? 

1  Washington  to  Varnum,  November  7.  —  Varnum  Papers. 


500  LIFE   OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

Much,  at  one  time,  had  been  expected  from  the 
fleet,  but  llazlewood  was  a  State  officer,  and  jeal- 
ousies sprang  up  between  the  United  States  officers 
and  the  State  officers  which  prevented  a  cordial 
co-operation  when  nothing  but  cordial  co-operation 
could  have  made  their  exertions  effectual.  Some- 
thing, too,  was  expected  from  the  militia,  —  not 
fighting,  but  work  at  night  in  repairing  the  dam- 
age done  by  the  enemy's  fire  during  the  day. 

"  I  would  have  you  endeavor,"  writes  "Washington  to 
Varnura  at  1  P.  M.,  on  the  12th  of  November,  "  to  pre- 
vail upon  the  militia  to  go  over  at  night,  when  there  is  a 
cessation  of  firing,  and  work  till  daylight.  You  may 
give  them  the  most  positive  assurance  that  it  is  not  meant 
to  keep  them  there  against  their  consent.  This  would 
greatly  relieve  the  Continental  troops,  and  by  these 
means  a  great  deal  of  work  might  be  done."  ^ 

In  October  there  had  been  "  a  scattering  can- 
nonade"^ up  to  the  day  of  Donop's  defeat,  after 
which  both  forts  were  left  in  peace  for  a  while.  On 
the  10th  of  November  the  real  siege  began."  Smith 
was  active,  vigilant,  and  firm.  His  chief  engineer 
was  Fleury,  a  young  Frenchman,  who  had  already 
distinguished  himself  at  the  Brandy  wine,  and  was  to 
distinguish  himself  yet  more  at  Stony  Point.  The 
artillery  was  commanded  by  Captain-Lieutenant 
Treat, "  one  of  the  most  promising  and  best  of  young 
ofTicers,"  says  Knox,  who  had  seen  him  tried.  With 
the   later   reinforcements  had   come   Silas   Talbot, 

1   Varnum  rapcrs. 

*  Angclls  Letter  in  Cowdl's  Spirit  of  1776  in  Rhode  Island. 


1777.]  LIFE   OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  501 

of  Providence,  just  promoted  by  Congress  "  in  con- 
sideration of  his  merit  and  services  in  a  spirited  at- 
tempt to  set  fire  to  one  of  the  enemy's  ships  of  war 
in  the  North  River  "  ^  the  year  before.  These  were 
officers  whom  the  men  could  look  up  to  with  confi- 
dence, smiling  grimly  as  Smith  uttered  a  grim  joke. 
"  What  are  you  dodging  for,  sir?  "  said  he  sternly  to 
one  of  his  aids,  who  could  not  hold  his  head  firm  as 
the  bullets  whistled  by  ;  "  the  king  of  Prussia  had 
thirty  aids  killed  in  one  day."  "  Yes,  sir,"  answered 
the  young  man,  "  but  Colonel  Smith  has  n't  so  many 
to  lose." 

From  the  beginning  the  fire  was  very  heavy. 

"  I  am  interrupted  by  the  bombs  and  baits,  which  fall 
thickly,"  writes  Fleury  in  his  journal,  on  the  10th,  at 
noon.  "  The  fire  increases,  but  not  the  effect ;  our  bar- 
racks alone  suffer.  Two  o'clock.  The  direction  of  the 
fire  is  changed  ;  our  palisades  suffer  ;  a  dozen  of  them 
are  broken  down  ;  one  of  our  cannon  is  damaged,  —  I  am 
afraid  it  will  not  fire  straight.  Eleven  o'' clock  at  night. 
The  enemy  keep  up  a  firing  every  half-hour ;  our  garri- 
son diminishes ;  our  soldiers  are  overwhelmed  with  fa- 
tigue. 11th.  The  enemy  keep  up  a  heavy  fire;  they 
have  changed  the  direction  of  their  embrasures,  and,  in- 
stead of  battering  our  palisades  in  front,  they  take  them 
obliquely,  and  do  great  injury  to  our  north  side.  At 
night.  The  enemy  fire,  and  interrupt  our  works.  Three 
vessels  have  passed  up  between  us  and  Province  Island 
without  any  molestation  from  the  galleys.  Colonel 
Smith,  Captain  George,  and  myself  wounded.  Those 
two  gentlemen  passed  immediately  to  Red  Bank." 

1  Journals  of  Congress,  Vol.  II.  p.  285.     Friday,  October  10,  1777. 


502  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

LieutenaiitColonel  Russell,  of  the  Connecticut 
line,  now  took  the  command.  "  Heavy  firing," 
continues  Fleury  on  the  12th;. "our  two  eighteen- 
pounders  at  the  northern  battery  dismounted.  At 
night.  The  enemy  throw  shells,  and  we  are  alarmed 
by  thirty  boats."  "  Lieutenant-Colonel  Russell,  an 
amiable,  sensible  man,  and  an  excellent  officer,  ex- 
hausted by  fatigue,  and  totally  destitute  of  health, 
requested  to  be  recalled."  ^  Who  wdll  take  the 
command  now  ?  Washington's  orders  had  just 
reached  Varnum  :  the  fort  was  to  be  held  as  long  as 
it  could  be  held  without  sacrificing  the  garrison.  It 
was  no  time  to  detach  "  officers  in  rotation  "  as  their 
terms  of  service  came  round.^  None  but  a  volun- 
teer could  bring  the  right  spirit  to  work  like  this. 

And  then  it  was  that  Simeon  Thayer,  of  Provi- 
dence, came  forward,  as  twice  before  he  had  come 
forward  to  do  perilous  duty  under  the  walls  of 
Quebec.  On  the  morning  of  the  13th  the  little 
garrison  saw  him  calmly  take  his  place  at  their 
head :  detachments  from  Durkey's  and  Chandler's 
Connecticut  regiments  coming  with  hhn  to  relieve 
the  remainder  of  Smith's  men.^  A  new  battery 
was  opened  upon  them  as  if  to  greet  their  arrival. 
"The  walk  of  our  rounds  is  destroyed,"  writes 
Fleury,  "the  block-houses  ruined,  and  garrison 
is  exhausted  with  fatigue  and  ill  health."  The  new 
detachments,  it  will  be  remembered,  formed  only 
part  of  the  garrison.     Another  night  of  watchful- 


1  Varnum's  letter  to'thc  Providence        »  Angell's  Letter  of  Febmary  17, 
Gazette.  1778. 

2  Id. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  503 

ness  and  labor  and  constant  alarm  wears  slowly 
away.  Another  morning  dawns,  —  the  morning  of 
the  14th,  —  and  as  Thayer  looks  out  upon  the  misty 
river  he  sees,  near  the  shore,  just  above  the  enemy's 
grand  battery,  a  large  floating  battery  all  ready  to 
open  upon  his  crumbling  works.  By  noon  he 
silences  it ;  but  a  boat  from  the  fleet  deserts  to  the 
enemy  with  the  tale  of  the  weakness  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, and  the  desperate  straits  to  which  they  are 
reduced.  And  now,  knowing  what  a  shadow  he 
has  to  deal  with,  the  British  commander  will  surely 
gather  up  all  his  strength  and  crush  them.  Only 
one  thing  can  save  them :  a  strong  diversion  by 
strong  detachments  from  the  main  army. 

"Washington  knew  it,  and  longed  to  make  the 
trial. 

"  We  have  just  returned  from  reconnoitring  the 
islands  below  and  up  to  the  Middle  Ferry,"  writes 
Greene  from  Mr.  Morris's,  November  4th,  8  o'clock,  P. 
M.  We  purpose  to  go  out  again  in  the  morning  ;  from 
the  present  view,  Derby  appears  the  only  eligible  posi- 
tion for  the  army  for  the  purpose  of  their  crossing  the 
river.  It  is  the  opinion  of  several  of  the  gentlemen  that 
the  enemy  may  be  best  dislodged  from  the  islands  by  de- 
tachments. Others  are  of  opinion  that  it  would  be  dan- 
gerous, unless  the  party  was  covered  by  the  army  ;  but 
all  are  of  opinion  it  is  practicable  either  the  one  or  the 
other ;  and,  considering  the  good  consequences  that  will 
result  from  it,  it  ought  to  be  attempted.  Derby  is  not 
the  most  eligible  post  I  ever  saw,  but  it  is  not  so  dan- 
gerous as  to  discourage  the  attempt  to  relieve  Fort 
Mifflin. 


504  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

"  The  flii}^  was  flying  at  Fort  Mifflin  at  sunset  this 
evening ;  there  has  been  a  very  severe  cannonade  to- 
day. Enclosed  is  a  letter  from  Colonel  Greene  respect- 
ing the  condition  of  the  fort.  The  enemy  have  got  up 
two  or  three  vessels  into  the  Schuylkill  ;  they  were  at- 
tempting to  get  up  a  two-and-thirty  gun  frigate  between 
Ilog  Island  and  Province  Island.  By  the  best  ol)serva- 
tion  we  could  make,  her  guns  were  taken  out  and  fol- 
lowed her  in  a  sloop.  She  did  not  get  up,  but  what  was 
the  reason  I  know  not. 

"  The  commodore  should  be  directed  to  sink  a  vessel 
or  two  in  the  new  channel  as  soon  as  possible,  and  the 
fort  encouraged  to  hold  out  to  the  last. 

"  There  is  but  one  bridge  over  the  Schuylkill,  and  that 
is  at  the  Middle  Ferry.  I  examined  the  river  myself 
from  the  falls  to  the  mouth. 

"  The  enemy  have  got  a  chain  of  redoubts,  with  abbatis 
between,  from  one  river  to  the  other.  A  part  of  this  is 
from  information,  and  part  from  my  own  observation. 
The  Schuylkill  is  very  deep  and  rapid,  too  deep  for  foot 
to  ford  it.  The  bridge  at  Mattison's  Ford  is  not  in  so 
great  forwardness  as  I  could  wish  ;  the  commanding  offi- 
cer says  it  will  be  done  in  three  days ;  but  a  bridge  of 
wagons  can  be  thrown  over  for  the  foot  to  pass  if  that 
should  not  be  done. 

"■  The  enemy  are  greatly  discouraged  by  the  fort's  hold- 
ing out  so  long  ;  and  it  is  the  general  opinion  of  the  best 
of  citizens  that  the  enemy  will  evacuate  the  city  if  the  fort 
holds  out  until  the  middle  of  next  week 

"  From  the  best  accounts  we  can  get,  there  are  but 
five  ships  with  troops  on  board  in  the  river." 

"  I  trust  and  believe  it  is  not  3'^et  too  late  to  give 
the    forts  some  relief,"   wrote  Reed  on  the   16th.* 

>  Life  of  President  Reed,  Vol.  I.  p.  336. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  505 

But,  weighing  carefully  his  own  strength  and  the 
enemy's,  Washington  saw  that  the  hazard  was  too 
great.  He  had  done  all  that  his  means  permitted 
and  his  judgment  warranted,  and  would  not  imperil 
his  army  by  a  false  step. 

But  already  the  fate  of  Fort  Mifflin  was  decided. 
Disheartened  by  the  obstinate  resistance  which  they 
had  encountered,  the  British  were,  at  one  moment, 
it  is  said,  upon  the  point  of  giving  up  the  contest 
and  evacuating  the  city.  But  new  resolutions  came 
with  the  discovery  of  a  new  channel  which  the  cur- 
rent, turned  from  its  natural  course  by  the  chevaiix- 
de-frise,  had  worn  between  Hog  Island  and  the 
Pennsylvania  shore.  A  passage  was  now  open  for 
their  heavy  ships. 

A  grand  and  fearful  sight  that  noble  three  hun- 
dred presented  to  the  morning  sun  of  the  15th  of 
November.^  All  the  preceding  day  they  had  fought 
against  overwhelming  odds,  all  the  preceding  night 
they  had  worked  and  slept  by  turns,  working 
rather  to  clear  away  ruins  than  to  build  up  new  de- 
fences, and  sleeping  on  the  slimy  ooze  which  formed 
the  floor  of  the  fort.^  Their  fort  itself  was  shattered 
and  rent  in  every  part;  their  block-houses  were  de- 
stroyed ;  only  two  cannon  were  left  mounted ; 
five  strong  redoubts  were  training  their  heavy 
guns  upon  them  from  Province  Island ;  six  ships, 
four  of  them  sixty-fours,  and  two  of  them  forties, 

1  In  his  admirable  letter  of  the  17th  November,  to  the  President  of  Con- 
gress.—  Sparks,  Vol.  V.  p.  151. 

2  Marshall. 


50G  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  Ll"7. 

Mere  within  nine  hundred  yards  of  them  on  the 
river;  three  ships,  "with  a  galley  and  some  smaller 
armed  vessels,"  ^  were  coming  up  and  taking  station 
between  them  and  the  redoubt  on  the  Jersey  shore, 
which  they  had  counted  upon  for  protection  against 
a  cross  fire.  With  eyes  that  looked  out  heavily 
from  under  weary  lids  they  saw  these  prepara- 
tions,—  saw  the  fatal  circle  closing  slowly  around 
them ;  and,  doing  what  little  they  could  to  pre- 
pare themselves  for  the  struggle,  calmly  aw\aited 
the  signal  to  begin.  The  autumn  sun  was  already 
high  over  their  heads  when  it  came,  a  single 
bugle-note,  and  at  once  from  ship  and  battery 
came  flash  and  roar  and  hurtling  balls,  and  soon 
a  dark  cloud  gathered  around  the  ships  and  settled 
heavilv  over  the  fort.  With  throbbinar  hearts  the 
garrison  of  Fort  Mercer  looked  down  from  their 
walls.  When  will  that  cloud  break  and  show  us 
our  own  flag  again  ?  It  broke,  and  the  broad  folds 
of  the  younfi;  flasr  were  still  wavino;  defiantlv  over 
the  ruins,  and  still  from  the  two  remaining  guns 
went  forth  a  resolute  answer  to  the  enemy's  cannon. 
Soon  those  two  were  dismounted  also.  At  eleven  a 
"ship  mounting  tw^enty  twenty-four-pounders  and 
a  sloop  with  three  twenty-four-pounders,  warped 
up  back  of  Hog  Island,"  close  to  the  fort,  —  so  close 
that  the  men  in  their  tops  could  look  straight 
down  into  the  works  and  throw  hand-o;renades  into 
them.  Their  very  yard-arms  seemed  to  overhang 
the  shattered  walls.     Not  a  man  could  show  himself 

1  Lord  Howe.     Almon's  Remembrancer,  Vol.  V.  p.  499. 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  507 

upon  the  platform  without  becoming  the  mark  for 
forty  eager  rifles.  At  a  quarter  before  three  came 
a  faint  dawn  of  hope.  Varnum  wrote  to  Thayer 
"  that  the  floating  batteries  and  some  of  the  galleys 
were  working  up  to  attack"  these  new  enemies. 
With  longing  eyes  the  little  garrison  saw  them 
draw  nigh ;  with  heavy  hearts  they  saw  them  put 
about  and  go  back.  The  fleet  had  failed  them.^ 
And  all  the  while  the  fatal  fire  kept  on,  —  direct 
from  the  ships,  a  cross  fire  from  the  land  batteries. 
Over  a  thousand  balls  came  rushing  in  upon  them 
in  twenty  minutes.^  "  Long  before  night  there 
was  not  a  single  palisade  left."  ^  The  embrasures 
were  knocked  in,  "  the  parapet  levelled."  The  men 
crouched  behind  the  fragments  of  wall  outside  the 
fort,  the  only  protection  left  them,^  grasping  their 
weapons  firmly  for  a  last  struggle,  hand  to  hand. 
Treat  was  dead.  A  first-lieutenant,  two  sergeants, 
and  three  privates  of  the  artillery  were  dead  ;  nine 
others  were  lying  wounded  by  their  guns,  several 
of  them  mortally ;  sixteen  dead  and  wounded  out 
of  tw^enty,  the  full  number  of  the  artillery  when 
the  siege  began.  Talbot  had  fought  for  hours  with 
his  wrist  shattered,  and  at  last  was  wounded  in  the 
hip  also.  Fleury  had  been  wounded  four  days,  but 
stuck  to  his  post. 

Night  came  on,  and  welcome  were  its  protecting 
shadows  to  these  weary  men.  The  ships  drew  off, 
dropping  down  to  the  lower  chevaux-de-frise.     The 

1  Angell's  Letter.  2  Varnum's  Letter. 

8  Knox  to  Colonel  Lamb.  —  Life  of  Lamb,  p.  17.3. 
*  Angell's  Letter. 


508  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

fire  from  tlie  batteries  continued.  Then  as  darkness 
settled  over  the  scene  the  sound  of  oars  was  heard 
from  the  Jersey  side.  Yarnum  had  sent  boats  over 
to  take  off  the  garrison,  if  Thayer  thought  best  to 
evacuate.  The  gallant  fellow,  who  knew  how 
much  every  hour's  delay  was  worth  to  Washing- 
ton, would  gladly  have  held  out  longer.  Even 
now  he  could  hardly  bring  his  mind  to  acknowl- 
edge that  all  hope  was  gone.  He  collected  the 
stores  and  put  them  into  the  boats ;  he  collected 
the  wounded,  and  then  out  of  the  remnants  of 
his  three  hundred,  selecting  for  himself  forty,  he 
sent  the  rest  a^vay.  They  at  least  and  the  stores 
were  safe.  It  was  seven  in  the  evenins;  when  all 
this  was  done.  Then  with  his  chosen  forty  he  again 
went  the  rounds  to  see  what  could  yet  be  done  for 
defence.  On  the  bosom  of  the  broad  river  all  was 
silent,  and  the  peaceful  stars  looked  down  into  it 
as  sweetly  as  if  man's  blood  had  never  defiled  its 
waters.  But  flir  down  where  his  eye  could  not 
pierce  the  darkness,  Thayer  knew  that  the  enemy's 
ships  were  lying  quietly  at  anchor,  waiting  only 
for  the  return  of  daylight  to  close  in  upon  him 
again.  And  from  the  enemy's  batteries,  which  half 
girded  him  round  like  the  curve  of  the  half-moon,^ 
shells  still  came  shriekin";  throuo-h  the  air,  and  balls 
still  came  dashing  among  the  ruins.  Midnight 
brought  no  change,  no  protecting  storm,  no  sudden 
shift  of  wind,  no  prospect  of  succor  from  man  or 
from  the  elements.      It  was  madness,  not   manly 

1  Angell's  Letter. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  509 

courage,  to  stay  longer,  and  spiking  the  dismount- 
ed guns  which  he  had  no  means  of  removing,  and 
setting  fire  to  the  remains  of  the  barracks,  that 
not  a  frao-ment  mii^-ht  fall  entire  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy,  he  drew  off  his  men  to  the  shore, 
distributed  them  among  the  boats,  and  crossed 
the  perilous  passage  in  the  light  of  the  blazing 
ruins.  Eager  hands  grasped  his  as  he  entered 
Fort  Mercer,  where  no  one  had  expected  to 
see  him  again  alive,-^  and  when  for  the  first 
time  in  five  nights  he  laid  his  head  upon 
a  pillow,  he  could  say  to  himself,  "I  can  sleep 
now,  for  I  have  done  my  duty."  And  if  any 
should  accuse  me  of  dwelling  too  minutely  upon 
these  details,  I  would  remind  them  that  a  hasty 
Congress,  regarding  Smith  alone  as  commander  of 
Fort  Mifflin,  failed  to  do  justice  to  Thayer,  thus 
making  it  more  imperatively  the  duty  of  history 
to  hold  up  his  name  as  that  of  a  brave  man,  a 
skilful  officer,  and  a  true  patriot.^ 

1  Varnum's  Letter.  Life  of  Olney,  Chastelliix's  Travels, 
^  A  sword  was  voted  to  Smith,  Vol.  I.  p.  2(J0,  &c.,  of  English  Trans- 
who  was  fully  entitled  to  it ;  hut  no  lation,  Gordon,  Marshall,  and  Ram- 
notice  was  taken  of  Thayer.  say.  Reed's  Life  of  Reed,  and  Daw^- 
My  authorities  for  Red  Bank  and  son's  Battles  of  the  United  States. 
Fort  Mifflin  are  Ward's  letter  in  The  account  in  Lee's  Memoirs  can- 
Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.  112,  not  be  reconciled  with  those  of  Var- 
Washlngton's  Writings,  Vol.  V.,  num,  Angell,  and  Knox,  &e.,  or  rather 
Greene  MSS.,  Varnum  MSS.,  Var-  his  narrative  is  very  inaccurate,  unless 
num's  Letter  to  the  Providence  Ga-  all  the  others  are  so.  I  have  also 
zette,  and  a  letter  of  Colonel  Angell,  consulted  the  official  letter  in  Almon's 
republished,  both  of  them,  in  Cow-  Remembrancer,  Vol.  V.,  and  tiie  me- 
ell's  Spirit  of  1776  in  Rhode  Island,  moir  of  Major  Thayer  in  E.  M. 
an  important  letter  of  Knox  to  Col-  Stone's  Invasion  of  Canada  in  177.5, 
onel  Lamb,  in  Leake's  Life  of  Lamb,  — a  valuable  contribution  to  Ameri- 
p.  192,  Olney 's  Narrative  in  William's  can  history. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Howe  resolved  to  have  the  Left  Bank  of  the  Delaware.  —  Cornwallis 
sent  to  secure  it.  —  Greene  sent  to  oppose  him.  —  Reasons  for 
disliking  the  Service.  — Conway's  Letter  to  Gates.  — Ought  Red 
Bank  to  be  held  ?  —  Greene  on  the  ISIarch.  —  Letter  to  his  Wife. — 
Crosses  the  Delaware. —Letter  to  Varnum.  —  To  Washington. — 
Fort  Mercer  evacuated.  —  Greene's  Prospects  not  bright.  —  Glover's 
Bri<^ade.  —  Colonel  Comstock.  —  Council  at  Head-quarters  on  at- 
tacking Philadelphia. —  Letters  to  and  from  Washington.  — Greene 
rejoins  the  main  Army.  —  Contemporary  Opinion  of  his  Conduct. — 
Marshall's  Opinion. 

SLOWLY  but  surely  Sir  William  Howe  was  work- 
ing out  his  plans.  Fort  Mifflin  was  won  ;  the 
eastern  channel  was  free  ;  but  Fort  Mercer  still 
stood  with  a  perpetual  menace  upon  the  heights  of 
Red  Bank.  So  long  as  those  frowning  batteries 
looked  down  upon  the  ship-channel,  there  could  be 
no  free  passing  up  and  down  the  sorely  needed 
river.  This  point,  too,  must  be  won,  and  won  at  all 
hazards.  Cornwallis,  the  ablest  of  the  British  gen- 
erals, was  chosen  for  the  important  task,  and,  cross- 
ing the  Delaware  at  Chester,  on  the  19th  of 
November,  he  joined  at  Billingsport  another  de- 
tachment just  arrived  from  New  York,  under  Sir 
Thomas  Wilson,  and  came  out  with  overwhelming 
forces  upon  the  rear  of  the  little  garrison.^ 

1  Howe's  Letter  in  Almon's  Remembrancer,  Vol.  V.  p.  502. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  511 

The  possibility  of  such  a  movement  had  been 
foreseen  by  Washington,  who  had  kept  Varnum  at 
Woodbery,  in  lower  Jersey,  with  his  brigade,  and 
such  parties  of  the  reluctant  militia  as  he  could 
bring  up  to  his  assistance.  But  when  Cornwallis 
was  sent,  he  too  turned  to  his  trusted  and  best, 
and  sent  Greene  to  oppose  him. 

It  was  not  a  pleasant  duty  for  Greene,  for  there 
were  many  chances  against  his  being  able  to  look 
his  adversary  in  the  face,  and  he  knew  what  the 
consequences  of  a  failure  would  be. 

"  I  am  very  sorry,"  he  had  just  written  to  Henry  Mar- 
chant,  "  to  find  the  public  so  illy  informed  with  regard  to 
the  operations  here,  both  with  respect  to  men  and  events. 
We  fight  by  main  strength.  It  would  give  me  pleasure  if 
some  of  your  body  were  always  with  the  army.  It  would 
enable  them  to  judge  of  men  and  measures,  to  reward 
merit,  and  remedy  evils.  Private  friendship  often  sounds 
the  trumpet  of  praise,  and  imposes  upon  the  credulity  and 
good-nature  of  your  board.- 

"  The  successes  to  the  northward  have  given  great  relief 
to  the  Northern  States  ;  but  the  American  affairs  are  in  a 
most  critical  situation,  owing  to  the  universal  dislike  to 
service.  I  think  I  never  saw  the  army  so  near  dissolving 
since  I  have  belonged  to  it.  The  officers  cannot  maintain 
themselves,  and,  from  the  present  temper  prevailing  in 
general,  determine  to  leave  the  service  at  the  close  of  the 
campaign. 

"  Military  rank  being  conferred  upon  people  of  all  orders 
so  lavishly  has  rendered  its  value  of  much  less  importance 
than  formerly.  It  was  once  considered  a  jewel  of  great 
value,  but  it  now  begins  to  be  held  in  light  esteem."  ^ 

1  Greene  MSS.     Greene  to  Henry  Marchant.     Camp  near  Philadelphia, 
November  17,  1777. 


V 


012  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that,  only  seven  days 
before  these  Knes  were  written,  Washhigton  had 
written  to  Conway:  — 

"  A  letter  which  I  received  last  night  contained  the 
following  paragraph  :  '  In  a  letter  from  General  Conway 
to  General  Gates,  he  says,  Heaven  has  been  determined 
to  save  your  country^  or  a  weak  g-eneral  and  bad  coun- 
sellors laould  have  ruined  it.^  "  ^ 

The  cabal  was  now  at  its  height,  startled,  but 
not  discouraged  by  its  sudden  detection ;  and 
Greene  knew  that  the  first  place  among  those 
"  bad  counsellors "  was  assigned  to  him. 

Still,  it  was  not  without  some  hope  of  "  giving 
an  effectual  check  "^  to  the  enemy's  forces  in 
Jersey,  that  he  went  forth  to  meet  Cornwallis.  St. 
Clair,  Knox,  and  De  Kalb,  who  had  been  sent  down 
to  examine  the  ground,  were  "  all  clear  in  their 
opinion,  that  keeping  possession  of  the  Jersey 
shore  at  or  near  Red  Bank  was  of  the  last  impor- 
tance." ^  "  Very  much  will  depend  upon  keeping 
possession  of  Fort  Mercer,"  wrote  Washington  to 
Varnura  on  the  evening  of  the  19th,*  "as, to  reduce 
it,  the  enemy  will  be  obliged  to  put  themselves  in 
a  very  disagreeable  position  to  them,  and  advan- 
tageous to  us,  upon  a  narrow  neck  of  land  between 
two  creeks  with  our  force  pressing  upon  their  rear. 

1  Sparks's  Wasliington,  Vol.  V.  p.  cording  to  De  Kiilb's  report  to  the 
139.  Duke  de  Broglic,  was  to  be  mined, 

2  Washington  to  Varnum,  Novem-  and  on  the  enemy's  advance  blown 
bcr  19.  — Varnum  MSS.  up.  — Kapp's  De  Kalb,  p.  125.     See 

8  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.     also  Reed's  Reed,  Vol.  I.  p.  339. 
163.     This  must  l)C  understood  of  the         *  Varnum  MSS. 
shore  rather  than  the  fort,  which,  ac- 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  513 

Therefore,  desire  Colonel  Greene  to  hold  it  if  pos- 
sible till  the  relief  arrives."  Major  Ward  had  just 
been  with  him  with  a  letter  from  the  colonel, 
giving  a  general  account  of  the  condition  of  the 
fort,  and  referring  him  to  Ward  "  for  a  more  par- 
ticular "  one.  "  Thus,  having  given  your  Excel- 
lency," says  the  last  paragraph,  "  what  appears  to 
me,  with  the  unanimous  voice  of  all  the  field- 
officers  of  the  garrison,  a  true  state  of  our  circum- 
stances and  observations  thereon,  I  wait  your 
Excellency's  particular  commands  and  directions 
for  an  invariable  rule  for  me  to  pursue."  ^  Wash- 
ington knew  what  this  meant,  and  how  literally 
the  sturdy  colonel  would  interpret  his  orders ;  and 
in  closing  his  letter  to  Varnum  he  adds,  "  Although 
I  am  anxious  to  have  the  fort  kept,  I  do  not  mean 
that  it  should  be  done,  at  all  events,  so  as  to  en- 
danger the  safety  of  the  men,  without  any  prob- 
ability of  success." 

Thus,  for  the  purpose  of  the  expedition,  every- 
thing depended  upon  coming  up  strong  enough  and 
in  time.       On  the  morning   of  the   20th  Greene 
began  his  march ;  in  the  evening  he  writes  to  his 
wife  from  Forelanesend,  near  Bristol :  — 

"  I  am  now  on  my  march  for  Red  Bank  fort.  Lord 
Cornwallis  crossed  over  into  the  Jerseys  day  before  yester- 
day, to  invest  that  place  with  a  large  body  of  troops.  I 
am  in  hopes  to  have  the  pleasure  to  meet  his  Lordship. 
This  eccentric  movement  will  lengthen  out  the  campaign 
for  some  weeks  at  least,  and  it  is  possible  may  transfer 

1  Sparks's  Correspondence  of  the  Kevolution,  Vol.  II.  p.  43. 
33 


514  LIFE   OF    NATILVNAEL   GREENE.  [1777. 

the  scat  of  \«^ar  for  the  winter.  The  enemy  are  now  get- 
ting up  their  stores  and  fortifying  the  city  of  Philadelphia 
as  strong  as  possible.  The  weather  begins  to  get  severe, 
and  campaigning  of  it  disagreeable,  but  necessity  obliges 

us  to  keep  the  field  for  some  time I  had  a  fall 

from  my  horse  some  time  ago,  but  have  got  entirely  over 

it,  except  a  sprain  in  my  wrist I  lodge  in  a  fine 

country-house  to-night.  The  Marquis  of  Fayette  is  in 
company  with  me  ;  he  has  left  a  young  wife,  and  a  fine 
fortune  of  fourteen  thousand  pounds  sterling  per  annum, 
to  come  and  engage  in  the  cause  of  liberty :  this  is  a  noble 
enthusiasm.  He  is  one  of  the  sweetest-tempered  young 
gentlemen  ;  he  purposes  to  visit  Boston  this  winter  ;  if  so, 

you'll   have  an   opportunity  to  see  him Your 

brother,  I  am  told,  behaved  the  hero  the  other  day,  in  the 
attack  on  Red  Bank." 

The  next  morning  he  crosses  the  Delaware  in 
advance  of  his  troops,  and  at  noon  writes  to 
Varnum  from   Burlington  :  — 

"  I  make  no  doubt  you  are  acquainted  with  the  march- 
ing of  the  troops  of  my  division  to  join  you.     I  am  at  a 
loss  respecting  your  situation,  the  condition  of  Fort  Mer- 
cer, or  the  operations  of  the  enemy  in  the  Jerseys.     A 
'report  prevails  here   this  morning  that  Fort  Mercer  is 
evacuated,  and  the  fleet  below  burnt.     You'll  please  to 
inform  me  as  to  the  truth  of  the  reports,  where  you  are, 
where  the  enemy  is,  and  where  you  think  a  junction  of 
our  forces  can  be  easiest  formed  ;  and  also,  if  you  think 
an  attack  can  be  made  upon  the  enemy  with  a  prospect 
of  success.     General  Glover's  brigade  is  on  the  march  to 
join  us,  and  Morgan's  corps  of  rangers.     General  Hunt- 
ington's brigade,  I  imagine,   will  be  with  you  to-day." 
"  1  am  a  stranger  to  all  the  lower  part  of  Jersey,"  he  adds, 
in  a  postscript,  "  [which]  makes  me  be  particular." 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  515 

At  five,  the  express  returns  with  Yarnum's 
answer,  and  he  immediately  writes  to  Washing- 
ton :  — 

"  General  Varnum  this  moment  acquainted  me  that 
Fort  Mercer  was  evacuated  last  evening.  Commodore 
Hazlewood  informs  me  also  that  the  greater  part,  if  not  all 
the  fleet,  except  tlie  thirteen  galleys,  were  burnt  this 
morning ;  one  or  two  of  the  smallest  vessels  attempted  to 
pass  the  city,  and  could  not  effect  it.  One  was  set  on  fire, 
and  one  other  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands,  owing  to  the 
matches  going  out ;  the  people  made  their  escape.  My 
division  arrived  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  about  ten 
this  morning,  but  the  want  of  scows  to  get  over  the  bag- 
gage will  prevent  our  marching  till  the  morning  ;  the 
greater  part  of  the  night,  if  not  tlie  whole,  will  be  em- 
ployed in  getting  over  the  baggage  and  artillery. 

"  General  Varnum  has  retreated  to  Mount  Holly.  I 
purpose  to  see  him  and  General  Huntington  early  in  the 
morning ;  if  it  is  practicable  to  make  an  attack  upon  the 
enemy,  it  shall  be  done  ;  but  I  am  afraid  the  enemy  will 
put  it  out  of  my  power,  as  they  can  so  easily  make  us  take 
such  a  circuitous  march  by  taking  up  the  bridge  over  Tim- 
ber Creek.  I  cannot  promise  aiiything  until  I  learn  more 
of  the  designs  of  the  enemy,  their  strength,  and  the  posi- 
tion they  are  in.  If  it  is  possible  to  make  an  attack  upon 
them  with  a  prospect  of  success,  it  shall  be  done.  Colonel 
Shrieve  was  with  me  this  afternoon  about  turning  out  the 
militia.  I  wish  he  may  succeed,  but  from  the  temper  of 
the  people  there  appears  no  great  prospect.  I  have  heard 
nothing  from  General  Glover's  brigade.  I  hope  Colonel 
Morgan's  corps  of  light  troops  will  be  on  in  the  morning, 
and  Captain  Lee's  troop  of  light-horse. 

"  The  fleet  are  greatly  distressed  at  the  reflections 
thrown  out  against  the  officers  ;  the  commodore  thinks  the 


51G  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

officers  arc  greatly  injured  ;  he  asserts  they  did  their  duty 
faithfully." 

N.  B.  —  "The  commodore  this  moment  informs  me 
there  is  three  sloops  and  a  brig  past  safe  by  the  city." 

Thus  the  chief  purpose  of  the  expedition  was 
already  lost  the  very  day  that  it  began.  Cornwallis 
was  too  strong,  had  too  much  the  start  of  him,  had 
been  too  near  his  object  at  starting.  Still  Chris- 
topher Greene  would  have  held  out  longer. 

"  I  shall  follow  your  directions,  either  to  evacu- 
ate or  defend  the  fort,"  he  said  to  the  generals  who 
had  been  sent  to  consult  with  him,  and  who  ad- 
vised an  evacuation.  '*  I  know  what  we  have  done 
when  the  works  were*  not  half  completed.  Now 
thev  are  finished,  and  I  am  not  afraid."  ^ 

Greene's  prospect  of  success  was  not  bright. 
He  had  heard  nothing  yet  of  Glover's  brigade, 
without  which  his  inferiority  to  Cornwallis  was  too 
sreat  to  iustifv  him  in  cominii;  within  striking; 
distance  of  the  British  general.  Lee's  light-horse, 
on  which  he  depended  for  information  of  the 
enemy's  movements,  had  not  yet  arrived.  Yet 
there  was  a  second  object  even  after  the  loss  of 
the  fort.  It  was  important  to  show  that  the  coun- 
try would  not  be  given  up  to  the  enemy  without 
an   effort.     The   people   must  still   see   their  own 

1  This  is  Gordon's  statement,  Vol.  generally  well  informed,  and,  though 

III.  p.  9,  wliifh  I  follow  with  some  he  sometimes  mistakes,  seldom  if  ever 

hesitation,  as  it  cannot  easily  he  rec-  invents,  I  suppose  him  here  to  have 

onciled  with  St.  Clair's,  Knox's  and  confounded  the  mission  of  St.  Clair, 

Dc  Kalh's  report   (Washington,  Vol.  Knox,  and  De  Kulb  with  advice  given 

V.   p.  163),  or  with  Greene's  letter  by   Varnum    and   Huntington   after 

qaoted  above.     But  as  Gordon  was  their  departure. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  517 

flag  somewhere  amongst  them,  must  still  feel  that 
Congress  and  Washington  had  not  forgotten  them. 
If,  besides  this,  a  successful  blow  could  be  struck, 
either  at  a  part  or  the  wdiole  of  the  enemy's  force, 
it  would  be  wdse  to  strike  it;  but  it  was  no  time 
for  great  hazards. 

"  I  came  to  this  place  yesterday  morning,"  Greene 
writes  to  Washington  from  Mount  Holly  on  the  23d. 
"  Tlie  difficulty  of  crossing  the  baggage  over  the  river  pre- 
vented its  coming  up  last  night.  The  boats  and  scows  at 
Burlington  are  under  very  bad  regulations.  General 
Varnuni  had  retreated,  as  I  wrote  your  Excellency  before, 
to  this  place.  He  left  a  party  of  militia  at  Haddonfield. 
I  am  afraid  there  has  a  very  considerable  quantity  of 
stores  fallen  into  the  enemy's  hands,  but  principally  be- 
longing to  the  fleet.  The  enemy  and  the  militia  had  a 
small  skirmish  at  Little  Timber  Creek  Bridge  ;  the  enemy 
crossed  there  in  the  afternoon  and  encamped.  They  say 
they  are  going  to  take  post  at  Haddonfield,  to  cover  the 
lower  counties,  and  open  a  market  from  thence.  Those 
counties  are  some  of  the  most  fertile  in  the  State,  from 
whence  great  quantities  of  provision  can  be  drawn.  A 
large  number  of  boats  went  up  to  Philadelphia  from  the 
shipping  yesterday  morning ;  there  are  some  soldiers  on 
board  of  them. 

"  Colonel  Morgan's  corps  of  light  infantry  advanced  this 
morning  for  Haddonfield.  If  the  troops  can  be  got  in 
readiness,  I  intend  to  put  the  whole  in  motion  this  after- 
noon. We  are  greatly  distressed  for  want  of  a  party  of 
light-horse. 

"  I  must  beg  your  Excellency  to  forward  some  as  soon 
as  possible. 

"  I  have  nothing  from  Glover's  brigade  ;  I  sent  an  ex- 


518  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

press  to  the  commanding  oflficcr  yesterday,  but,  from  the 
present  situation  of  things,  I  believe  it  will  be  best  not  to 
wait  their  coming  up. 

"  Every  piece  of  intelligence  necessary  for  my  informa- 
tion, with  regard  to  the  movements  of  the  enemy  in  the  city, 
I  must  entreat  your  Excellency  to  forward  to  me  by  express. 

"  Colonel  Shrieve  will  attempt  to  turn  out  tlie  militia, 
but  th.e  Commissary's  department  is  in  such  a  bad  situa- 
tion, and  the  people  so  unwilling  to  furnish  supplies,  that 
it  will  be  difficult  to  subsist  a  large  body. 

"  A  considerable  body  of  light-horse  would  be  very 
serviceable  here. 

"  Your  Excellency's  letter  of  the  22d  instant  is  just 
come  to  hand  ;  you  have  in  this  all  the  intelligence  1  have 
received." 

Here  again  we  have  a  jDroof  of  the  intimacy  of 
Washington's  intercourse  with  Greene.  When  they 
are  together  in  camp,  it  is  a  personal  intercourse ; 
the  moment  they  are  separated,  it  takes  the  form 
of  long  and  frequent  letters.  "  Keceived  and  an- 
swered the  same  day,"  is  Washington's  indorse- 
ment upon  this  last  letter,  a  frequent  indorsement 
upon  the  letters  of  both,  for  both  equally  felt  the 
necessity  of  leaning  upon  each  other.  For  Wash- 
ington, Greene  was  the  man  of  sound  judgment 
and  '•  singular  abilities  "  ;  for  Greene,  Washington 
was  the  great  and  good  man,  whom  God  had  given 
us  for  a  leader  in  a  holy  war,  just  as,  in  the  sore 
need  of  his  chosen  people,  he  had  raised  up  great 
men  to  guide  and  rescue  them.  In  studying 
Greene's  character,  we  should  err  greatly  if  we 
were  to  let  his  firm,  direct,  common-sense  way  of 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  519 

dealino;  with  men  and  estimatins;  motives  deceive 
US  as  to  the  influence  of  his  affectionate  heart  and 
rehgious  convictions. 

"  I  have  nothing  new  to  communicate  to  your  Excel- 
lency with  respect  to  the  motions  of  the  enemy,"  begins 
his  letter  of  the  24th.  "  They  remain,  or  did  last  niglit,  at 
Woodbury,  with  a  guard  at  Timber  Creek,  consisting 
of  about  six  hundred  men.  The  boats  that  went  up, 
mentioned  in  my  former  letters,  I  conjecture  had  on  board 
the  baggage  of  the  army  ;  the  soldiers  seen  on  board  were 
the  regimental  guard  to  the  baggage. 

"  The  militia  of  this  State  is  dwindling  to  nothing. 
General  Variuim  says  there  were  upwards  of  fourteen 
hundred  a  few  days  since  ;  they  are  reduced  now  to  be- 
tween seven  and  eight.  Colonel  Shrieve  is  gone  out  to  see 
what  impression  he  can  make  upon  the  people,  and  to  en- 
deavor to  draw  together  as  large  a  number  as  possible,  but 
I  cannot  flatter  myself  with  any  considerable  reinforce- 
ment. I  will  endeavor  to  enclose  your  Excellency  a  return 
of  our  strength  in  continentals  and  militia  this  afternoon 
if  possible.  We  are  all  ready  to  advance,  but  the  general 
officers  think  it  advisable  to  wait  the  return  of  the  first 
express  sent  to  Glover's  brigade,  to  learn  the  strength  and 
time  the  junction  may  be  formed  with  that  brigade.  I 
have  heard  nothing  where  it  is,  notwithstanding  I  have 
sent  three  expresses.  Captain  Lee  is  not  arrived,  neither 
have  I  heard  anything  of  him.  I  would  wish,  if  possible, 
some  horse  might  be  sent,  as  every  army  is  an  unwieldy 
body  withovU  them  ;  in  this  country  they  are  more  im- 
mediately necessary  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  sending 
out  theirs  to  collect  stock. 

"  Colonel  Cox,  who  is  with  me  at  this  place,  says,  if  the 
enemy  can  open  a  communication  with  the  three  lower 
counties,  they  will  be  able,  independent  of  all  the  sur- 


520  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

rounding  country,  to  draw  supplies  of  every  kind  neces; 
sary  for  the  s\ibsistence  of  the  array,  and  inliabitants  of  the 
city  of  Pliiladclpliia. 

"  Your  Excellency  observes  in  your  last,  you  must 
leave  the  propriety  of  attacking  the  enemy  to  me ;  would 
you  advise  me  to  figlit  them  with  very  unequal  numbers  ? 
Most  people,  indeed  all,  agree  they  are  near  or  quite  five 
thousand  strong  ;  our  force  is  upwards  of  three,  exclusive 
of  the  rnilitia,  which  may  be  from  seven  to  eight  hundred 
at  most.  The  situation  the  enemy  are  in,  the  ease  with 
which  they  can  receive  reinforcements,  and  the  difficulty 
of  our  knowing  it,  will  render  it  absolutely  necessary, 
when  we  advance  from  this  place,  to  make  the  attack 
as  soon  as  possible.  I  had  much  rather  engage  with 
three  thousand  against  five  than  attack  the  enemy's  lines, 
and  there  is  a  much  greater  prospect  of  succeeding,  but 
still  I  cannot  promise  myself  victory,  nor  even  a  prospect 
of  it,  with  inferior  numbers. 

"  I  have  seen  of  late  the  difficulty  your  Excellency 
seemed  to  labor  under,  to  satisfy  the  expectations  of  an 
ignorant  populace,  with  great  concern.  It  is  our  mis- 
fortune to  have  an  extent  of  country  to  cover  that  demands 
four  times  our  numbers ;  the  enemy  so  situated  as  to  be 
very  difficult  to  approach,  and,  from  pretty  good  authority, 
superior  to  us  in  numbers.  Under  these  disadvantages 
your  Excellency  has  the  choice  of  but  two  things,  —  to  fight 
the  enemy  without  the  least  prospect  of  success,  upon  the 
common  principles  of  war,  or  to  remain  inactive,  and  be  sub- ' 
ject  to  the  censure  of  an  ignorant  and  impatient  populace. 
In  doing  one,  you  may  make  a  bad  matter  worse,  and  take  a 
measure  that,  if  it  proves  unfortunate,  you  may  stand  con- 
demned for  by  all  military  gentlemen  of  experience  ;  in 
pursuing  tlie  other,  you  have  the  approbation  of  your  own 
mind,  you  give  your  country  an  opportunity  to  exert  itself 
to  supply  the  present  deficiency,  and  also  act  upon  such 


1777.]      .     ■  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  521 

military  principles  as  will  justify  you  to  the  best  judges  in 
the  present  day,  and  to  all  future  generations.  For  my 
own  part,  I  feel  censure  with  as  great  a  degree  of  sensi- 
bility as  is  possible,  and  I  feel  ambitious  to  do  everything 
that  common  sense  can  justify  ;  but  I  am  fully  persuaded 
in  attempting  more  you  may  make  a  temporary  a  lasting 
evil.  The  cause  is  too  important  to  be  trifled  with  to  show 
our  courage,  and  your  cliaracter  too  deeply  interested  to 
sport  away  upon  unmilitary  principles. 

"  For  your  sake,  for  my  own  sake,  and  for  my  country's 
sake,  I  wish  to  attempt  everything  which  will  meet  your 
Excellency's  approbation.  I  will  run  any  risk  or  engage 
under  any  disadvantages,  if  I  can  only  have  your  coun- 
tenance, if  unfortunate.  With  the  public,  I  know  success 
sanctifies  everything,  and  that  only. 

"  I  cannot  help  thinking,  from  the  most  dispassionate 
survey  of  the  operations  of  the  campaign,  that  you  stand 
approved  by  reason  and  justified  by  every  military  princi- 
ple. With  respect  to  my  own  conduct  I  have  ever  given 
my  opinion  with  candor,  and  to  my  utmost  executed  with 
fidelity  whatever  was  committed  to  my  charge.  In  some 
instances  we  have  been  unfortunate.  In  one  I  thought  I 
felt  the  lower  of  your  Excellency's  countenance,  when 
I  am  sure  I  had  no  reason  to  expect  it.  It  is  out 
of  my  power  to  command  success,  but  I  trust  I 
have  ever  endeavored  to  deserve  it.  It  is  mortifying 
enough  to  be  a  common  sharer  in  misfortunes,  but  to  be 
punished  as  the  author,  without  deserving  it,  is  truly 
afflicting. 

"  Your  Excellency's  letter  of  the  22d,  but  I  suppose  it 
was  of  yesterday,  this  moment  came  to  hand.  As  I  have 
wrote  so  fully  on  the  subject,  I  have  nothing  to  add,  only 
that  to  advance  from  this  place  before  Glover's  brigade 
joins  us,  unless  we  attack  the  enemy  without  them,  will 
rather  injure  them  than  facilitate  our  designs.    But  if  your 


522  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  •     -        [1777. 

Excellency  wishes  the  attack  to  be  made  immediately,  give 
me  only  your  countenance,  and,  notwithstanding  it  is  con- 
trary to  the  opinion  of  the  general  officers  here,  I  will  take 
the  consequences  upon  myself. 

"  Enclosed  is  a  copy  of  a  letter  from  Colonel  Ellis,  at 
Haddonfield. 

"  The  hospitals  in  the  Jerseys  are  greatly  complained  of. 
Tiiey  prove  a  grave  for  many  of  the  poor  soldiery  ;  prin- 
cipally owing  to  the  negligence  of  the  surgeons  who  have 
the  care  of  the  hospitals.  How  far  these  complaints  are 
well  grounded  I  cannot  pretend  to  say,  but  would  beg 
leave  to  recommend  the  sending  of  a  good  trusty  officer  to 
inspect  the  management  of  the  hospitals,  and  to  remain 
there  until  regularly  relieved." 

This  was  not  very  hopeful,  but  at  half  past  three 
came  Burnet  with  tidings  of  Glover's  brigade. 
"They  will  be  at  the  block-house  to-night,  eight 
miles  from  this  place,"  Greene  adds  in  a  postscript 
to  Washington,  and  begins  to  hope  he  may  yet 
have  a  chance  to  meet  Cornwallis, 

In  the  Jersey  militia  there  was  a  Colonel  Adam 
Comstock,  who,  unlike  many  of  his  comrades,  longed 
for  a  brush  with  the  enemy.  "  0,  how  I  want  to 
give  them  a  flogging  before  they  leave  the  Jer- 
seys ! "  he  says  in  one  of  his  letters  to  Greene  ;  ^  and 
under  his  inspiration  the  militia  made  several  at- 
tacks upon  the  enemy's  pickets  and  took  several 
prisoners.  He  was  upon  the  lookout  for  infor- 
mation al.^0,  and  skilful  in  his  devices  for  ob- 
taining it. 

"  This  moment,"  he  writes  to  Greene  from  Haddonfield 

1  Greene  MSS. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  523 

at  half  past  twelve  on  the  25th,  "  I  arrived  from  a  recon- 
noitring tour  near  Little  Timber  Creek  Bridge  ;  sent  a 
smart  young  woman,  who  had  a  sister  in  Gloucester,  as  a 
spy  to  Gloucester.  She  has  returned,  and  I  believe  has  re- 
ceived no  other  damage  than  a  kiss  from  the  Hessian  gen- 
eral, —  this  is  as  she  says.  She  reports  that  a  very  large 
number  of  British  and  Hessian  troops  are  in  Gloucester  ; 
that  they  are  embarking  in  boats  and  going  to  Philadel- 
phia ;  and  that  her  sister  there  informed  her  they  liad 
been  embarking  ever  since  early  in  the  morning.  That 
Lord  Cornwallis  quartered  at  Colonel  Ellis's  house,  and 
the  Hessian  general  at  a  house  opposite,  who  asked  the 
young  woman  where  the  rebels  were.  She  answered  she 
could  not  tell,  she  had  seen  none  of  them.  She  said  she 
passed  many  sentries  before  she  came  to  Little  Timber 
Creek  Bridge,  where  she  passed  the  last. 

"  I  doubt  not  this  information.     I  fear  they  will  be  too 
quick  for  us.     Colonel  Hart's  regiment  is  here." 

Greene  instantly  wrote  to  Washington  :  — 

"  This  moment  (four  o'clock)  received  intelligence 
the  enemy  are  embarking  from  Gloucester  and  crossing 
to  Philadelphia,  Colonel  Comstock  sends  this  intel- 
ligence, and  says  it  may  be  depended  upon.  I  have 
ordered  General  Varnum's  and  General  Huntington's 
brigades  to  advance  immediately,  to  fall  upon  the 
enemy's  rear,  and  prevent  their  getting  off  their  stock. 
I  wait  your  Excellency's  orders  to  march  where  you 
may  think  advisable.  Colonel  Shepard  got  into  camp 
about  noon  ;  the  whole  body  of  the  troops  will  be 
ready  to  move  at  a  moment's  warning.  The  rifle  corps, 
and  about  six  hundred  militia,  are  upon  the  enemy's 
flanks. 

"  A  detachment  from  Captain  Lee's  horse  took  nine 


524 


LIFE    OF    NATII.L\.\EL    GREENE, 


[1777. 


prisoners  yesterday,  —  the  first  account  I  ever  had  of 
their  being  in  this  quarter." 

At  three  Comstock  writes  again  :  — 

"  Seven  prisoners  just  arrived  here  from  the  enemy, 
taken  by  the  militia  about  three  miles  from  this  place  on 
the  road  to  Gloucester.  The  prisoners  I  have  examined  ; 
two  of  them  are  gunners,  and  two  matrosses,  belonging 
to  the  first  regiment  of  artillery  ;  the  other  three  belong 
to  the  thirty-third  regiment;  they  were  about  half  a 
mile  from  their  picket  plundering.  Those  belonging  to 
the  artillery  had  three  of  the  artillery  horses  with  them, 
marked  G,  which  are  also  taken.  This  express  rides 
one  of  them.  The  prisoners,  on  examination,  say  the 
main  body  lies  about  four  miles  from  this  on  the  Glouces- 
ter road  encamped  ;  that  their  line  forms  a  triangle ; 
that  they  are  to  wait  there  till  they  have  embarked  all 
the  stock  for  Philadelphia,  which  will  take  'em  all  day ; 
that  the  army  expect  to  embark  to-morrow,  and  go  into 
winter  quarters ;  that  they  have  two  six-pounders  in 
front,  two  ditto  in  the  rear,  and  some  smaller  in  the  cen- 
tre ;  that  they  were  not  in  the  least  apprehensive  of  any  of 
the  American  army  being  within  miles  of  them ;  other- 
wise, they  should  not  have  been  taken  in  the  manner 
they  were.  This  moment  some  Hessian  prisoners  arrived 
here,  taken  in  the  same  manner.  I  have  not  examined 
them.  I  could  wish  your  army  was  here  now,  for  I 
think  they  may  be  surprised  very  easily  ;  they  gave 
various  accounts  of  their  number,  from  five  to  eight 
thousand.  They  mostly  agree  that  Billings  Fort  and 
Fort  Mercer  are  levelled.  0,  how  I  want  to  give  them 
a  flogging  before  they  leave  the  Jerseys  !  " 

Meanwhile,  a  new  question  had  arisen  at  head- 


1777.]  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  525 

quarters.  "Washington  had  reconnoitred  the 
enemy's  works ;  and  Stirhng,  Wayne,  Scott,  and 
Woodford  were  eager  for  an  attack  upon  Phil- 
adelphia. "  The  enemy's  force  is  weakened,"  they 
said,  "  by  the  absence  of  Cornwallis ;  and,  if  we 
bring  three  columns  suddenly  against  their  north 
line,  and  enfilade  their  works  from  the  hills  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Schuylkill,  while  Greene,  embark- 
ing two  thousand  men  at  Dunk's  Ferry,  enters  the 
city  at  Spruce  Street,  secures  the  bridge  over  the 
Schuylkill,  and  takes  the  lines  in  the  rear,  we  shall 
surely  succeed."  On  the  evening  of  the  24th  the 
council  met  to  discuss  the  question.  The  discus- 
sion was  protracted  and  warm.  There  can  be  little 
doubt  to  which  side  Washington's  sound  judgment 
led  him  ;  for,  not  only  were  the  British  works  very 
strong,  but  Greene's  co-operation  depended  upon  so 
manj^  contingencies,  as  to  make  it  extremely  doubt- 
ful whether  it  would  be  possible  for  him  to  reach  the 
city  in  season,  if  he  reached  it  at  all.  Still,  public 
opinion  called  so  loudly  for  an  attack,  and  civilians 
w^ere  so  clamorous,  that  he  thought  it  wise  to 
strengthen  himself  by  a  more  solemn  expression  of 
the  opinions  of  his  officers.  Therefore,  when  the 
council  broke  up,  they  were  directed  to  give  their 
opinions  the  next  morning  in  writing ;  and  an  ex- 
press was  sent  off  to  Greene  in  the  night  for  his. 
On  comparing  them,  eleven  were  found  against 
it,  and  four  only  in  its  favor.  Amongst  those 
who  opposed  it  were  Greene,  Sullivan,  Knox,  De 


526  LU'E    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

Kail),  Dii  Portail,  the  best  and  most  experienced 
officers  in  the  ariny.^ 

But  when  Greene  wrote  to  Washington  from 
Mount  Holly,  at  midnight  of  the  25th,  he  did  not 
know  what  the  decision  would  be. 

"  I  wrote  your  Excellency  this  afternoon,"  he  says, 
"  that  the  enemy  were  crossing  from  the  Jerseys  to  Phil- 
adclpliia,  an.d  that  the  intelligence  came  from  Colonel 
Comstock.  lie  is  stationed  at  Iladdonfield  to  collect 
intelligence. 

"  I  have  received  two  letters  from  the  Colonel  to-day, 
the  first  dated  at  twelve  o'clock,  the  last  at  three,  both  of 
which  I  have  enclosed.  It  appears  to  me  the  enemy  are 
crossing  their  cattle  ;  but  I  much  doubt  whether  any 
part  of  their  troops  have  crossed  the  river  ;  perhaps  they 
may  begin  in  the  morning.  I  am  divided  in  my  mind 
how  to  act.  If  your  Excellency  intends  an  attack  on 
Philadelpliia,  our  moving  down  to  Haddonfield  will  pre- 
vent our  co-operating  with  you  ;  but  if  the  enemy  are 
crossing,  the  attack  upon  the  city  would  not  be  warrant- 
able now,  if  before,  witliout  our  whole  collective  force  at 
least;  and  as  part  is  below  and  part  here,  I  wish  to  move 
forward  for  the  support  of  the  troops  below,  and  attack 
the  enemy  if  practicable. 

"  I  expected  before  this  to  have  received  your  Ex- 
cellency's further  orders  ;  but  as  I  iiavc  not,  and  from 
the  intelligence  tliere  appears  a  prospect  of  attempting 
something  here,  I  have  ventured  to  put  the  troops  in 
motion.  If  I  sliould  receive  orders  to  the  contrary,  I  can 
speedily  return.     If  the  enemy  cross  to  the  city,  tlicy  may 

'  Sjwrks's  Wasliin;;f()n,Vol.V.  pp.  riiiladolpliia,  was  apaiiist  tliis  dan- 
167,  ICH.  Diicr's  Life  of  Lord  8tir-  gcrous  attempt.  For  a  judicious  cx- 
ling,  pp.  177,  178.  Kecd,  anxious  ns  amination  of  the  question  see  Mar- 
he   was   to   sec    Howe    driven   from  shall,  Vol.  I.  pp.  181,  182. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  527 

be  attacked  at  any  time  hereafter  as  well  as  now.  If 
they  have  not  crossed,  and  are  in  a  situation  to  be 
attacked,  I  slrall  have  an  opportunity  to  attempt  some- 
thing. I  am  anxious  to  do  everything  in  my  power;  and 
more  especially  as  the  people  seem  to  be  dissatisfied  at 
the  evacuation  of  Red  Bank  Fort." 

It  was  not  till  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  the 
26th,  that  the  new  orders  reached  him. 

"  Your  Excellency's  letter  of  the  25th  reached  me  at 
this  place,"  he  writes  to  Washington  from  Haddonfield, 
"  at  four.  I  halted  the  troops  on  the  receipt  of  it,  those 
that  had  not  got  into  the  town.  General  Varnum's  and 
Huntington's  brigades  got  to  this  place  before  the  letter 
came  to  iiand.  I  am  sorry  our  march  will  prove  a  fruit- 
less one  ;  the  enemy  have  drawn  themselves  down  upon 
the  peninsula  of  Gloucester  ;  tlie  ships  are  drawn  up  to 
cover  the  troops,  there  is  but  one  road  that  leads  down  to 
the  point,  on  each  side  the  ground  is  swampy  and  full  of 
thick  underbrush,  that  makes  the  approaches  impracti- 
cable almost ;  these  difficulties  might  have  been  sur- 
mounted, but  we  could  reap  no  advantage  from  it,  the 
shipping  being  so  posted  as  to  cover  the  troops,  and  this 
country  is  so  intersected  with  creeks,  that  approaclies  are 
rendered  extremely  difficult,  and  retreat  very  dangerous. 
I  should  not  have  halted  the  troops,  but  all  the  general 
officers  were  against  making  an  attack,  the  enemy  being 
so  securely  situated  and  so  effectually  covered  by  their 
shipping. 

"  We  have  a  fine  body  of  troops,  and  in  fine  spirits, 
and  every  one  appears  to  wish  to  come  to  action.  I  pro- 
posed to  the  gentlemen  drawing  up  in  front  of  the 
enemy,  and  to  attack  their  picket,  and  to  endeavor  to 
draw  them  out,  but  they  were  all  against  it  from  the 
improbability  of  the  enemy's  coming  out.     Tlie  Marquis, 


528  LIFE   OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

witli  about  four  hundred  militia  and  the  rifle  corps, 
attacked  the  enemy's  picket  last  evening,  killed  about 
twenty  and  wounded  as  many  more,  and  took  about 
twenty  prisoners.  The  Marquis  is  charmed  with  the 
spirited  behavior  of  the  militia  and  rifle  corps  ;  they  drove 
the  enemy  above  half  a  mile,  and  kept  the  ground  until 
dark.  Tlie  enemy's  picket  consisted  of  about  three  hun- 
dred, and  were  reinforced  during  the  skirmish.  The 
Marquis  is  determined  to  be  in  the  way  of  danger.^ 

"  From  the  best  observations  I  am  able  to  make,  and 
from  the  best  intelligence  I  can  obtain,  it  is  uncertain 
whether  any  of  the  enemy  have  crossed  tlie  river  ;  the 
boats  arc  constantly  going,  but  I  believe  they  are  trans- 
porting stock  ;  there  are  as  many  men  in  the  returning 
boats  as  goes  over;  by  to-morrow  it  will  be  reduced  to 
a  certainty.  I  believe  the  enemy  have  removed  the  great 
die vaux-de-f rise ;  there  went  up  sixty  sail  of  vessels  this 
morning.  If  tlie  obstructions  are  removed  in  the  river, 
it  accounts  for  the  enemy's  evacuating  Carpenter's  and 
Province  Islands,  as  they  are  no  longer  necessary.  The 
prisoners  say  the  enemy  are  going  into  winter  quarters  as 
soon  as  they  get  up  the  river. 

"  Enclosed  is  our  order  of  battle  with  a  plate  agreeing 
to  tiie  order. 

•'  I  propose  to  leave  General  Yarnum's  brigade  and  the 
rifle  corps  at  this  place  for  a  few  days,  especially  the  rifle- 
men, who  cover  the  country  very  much.  General  Var- 
nuni's  brigade  will  return  to  Mount  Holly  to-morrow  or 
next  day.  I  will  make  further  inquiry  respecting  the 
h()s])itals,  and  give  such  directions  as  appear  necessary.. 
My  division,  Huntington's  and  Glover's  brigades,  will  pro- 
ceed with  all  despatch  to  join  your  Excellency.  I  could 
wish  the  enemy  might  leave  the  Jerseys  before  us." 

'  Sec  also  Lafayette  Memoirs,  &c.,  Vol.  I.  p.  33. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  529 

By  this  time  Washington  had  received  Greene's 
letter  of  the  24th.  Its  manly  sympathy  touched 
his  heart ;  and  he  immediately  replied  in  his  own 
hand,  subscribing  himself,  as  he  seldom  does  to  any 
one,  "  With  sincere  regard  and  affection  "  :  — 

"  My  letter  of  yesternight  (wrote  after  I  returned  from 
a  view  of  the  enemy's  lines  from  the  other  side  Schuylkill) 
I  must  refer  to.  Our  situation,  as  you  justly  observe,  is 
distressing  from  a  variety  of  irremediable  causes,  but  more 
especially  from  the  impracticability  of  answering  the  ex- 
pectations of  the  world  without  running  hazards  which  no 
military  principles  can  justify,  and  which,  in  case  of  fail- 
ure, might  prove  the  ruin  of  our  cause  ;  patience,  and  a 
steady  perseverance  in  such  measures  as  appear  warranted 
by  sound  reason  and  policy,  must  support  us  under  the 
censure  of  the  one,  and  dictate  a  proper  line  of  conduct  for 
the  attainment  of  the  other  ;  that  is  the  great  object  in 
view.  This,  as  it  ever  has,  will,  I  think,  ever  remain  the 
first  wish  of  my  heart,  however  I  may  mistake  the  means 
of  accomplishment ;  that  your  views  are  the  same,  and 
that  your  endeavors  have  pointed  to  the  same  end,  I  am 
perfectly  satisfied  of,  although  you  seem  to  have  imbibed 
a  suspicion  which  I  never  entertained. 

"  I  can  foresee  inconveniences,  I  can  foresee  losses,  and 
I  dare  say  I  may  add  that  I  can  foresee  much  dissatisfac- 
tion that  will  arise  from  the  withdrawing  the  Continental 
troops  from  the  Jerseys.  But  how  is  it  to  be  avoided  ?  We 
cannot  be  divided  when  the  enemy  are  collected.  The 
evils  which  I  apprehended  from  throwing  troops  into  the 
Jerseys  now  stare  me  more  forcibly  in  the  face,  and  a 
day  or  two,  if  you  cannot  join  us  in  that  time,  may  realize 
them  ;  for  my  mind  scarce  entertains  a  doubt  but  that 
General  Howe  is  collecting  his  whole  force  with  a  view  of 
pushing  at  this  army.     This,  especially  under  the  informa- 

34 


530  LIFE   OF   NATILVNAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

tion  joii  have  received  of  Lord  Cornwallis's  recrossing  the 
Delaware,  induces  me  to  press  despatch  upon  you,  that  our 
junction  may  be  formed  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  the 
consequences  of  a  division  avoided. 

"  The  current  sentiment,  as  far  as  I  can  collect  it,  is 
in  favor  of  our  taking  post  the  other  side  Schuylkill ;  in 
this  case  the  Jerseys  will  be  left  totally  uncovered ;  conse- 
quently all  the  craft  in  the  river,  with  their  rigging,  guns, 
&c.  ;  t!io  hospitals  on  that  side  of  the  river,  the  maga- 
zines of  provisions  which  the  commissaries  are  about  es- 
tablishing in  the  upper  part  of  Jersey,  &c.  Think, 
therefore,  I  beseech  you,  of  all  these  things,  and  prepare 
yourself  by  reflection  and  observation  (being  on  the  spot) 
to  give  me  your  advice  on  these  several  matters.  The 
boats  (those  belonging  to  the  public,  and  built  for  the  pur- 
pose of  transporting  troops,  &c.  across  the  river)  ought  in 
my  judgment  to  be  removed,  as  soon  as  they  have  served 
your  present  calls,  up  to  Coryell's  Ferry  at  least,  if  not 
higher.  I  am  almost  inclined  to  think  (if  we  should  cross 
the  Schuylkill)  that  they  ought  to  be  carted  over  also. 

"  It  has  been  proposed  that  some  of  the  galleys  should 
fall  down  to  or  near  the  mouth  of  Frankfort  Creek,  in 
order  to  prevent  troops  from  coming  up  by  water,  and  fall- 
ing in  the  rear  of  our  pickets  near  the  enemy's  lines  ;  will 
you  discuss  with  the  Commodore  on  this  subject  ?  Will 
you  also  ask  what  is  become  of  the  hands  that  were  on 
board  the  vessels  which  were  burnt  ?  "  ^ 

Washington's  letter  found  Greene  at  Mount 
Holly,  on  his  march  back  to  camp. 

"  Your  favor  of  yesterday,"  he  writes  on  the  27th,  "  I 
received  last  night  about  twelve  o'clock.  The  greater 
part  of  the  troops  returned  to  this  place  last  night,  and 


Greene  MSS. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  531 

marched  early  this  morning  to  cross  the  Delaware.  I 
stayed  at  Haddonfield  myself,  with  General  McDougal's 
division,  to  give  the  necessary  orders  to  the  militia.  I 
have  left  the  rifle  corps  at  Haddonfield,  and  Captain  Lee's 
troop  of  light-horse,  to  encourage  the  militia  and  awe  the 
enemy,  —  to  prevent  their  coming  out  in  small  parties. 
Colonel  Olney  had  orders  to  make  an  attack  upon  their 
picket  this  morning,  but  they  drew  them  in  so  close  to 
their  main  body,  and  there  being  but  one  road,  he  could 
not  effect  it ;  their  picket  consisted  of  about  three  hun- 
dred men.  I  am  much  afraid  the  withdrawing  of  the 
troops  will  greatly  alarm  the  country.  Any  position  below 
this  with  any  considerable  force  would  be  very  dangerous  ; 
the  country  is  exceedingly  intersected  with  creeks,  and 
lies  so  contiguous  to  Philadelphia.  I  think  any  body  of 
troops  may  be  surprised  from  the  city  at  Haddonfield  in 
five  hours,  and  at  almost  any  place  in  its  neighborhood. 

"  The  hospitals  will  be  in  some  danger  at  Burlington, 
Bordentown,  and  Princetown,  if  all  the  troops  are  with- 
drawn from  this  State ;  but  if  the  sick  were  ordered  to  be 
immediately  removed,  it  would  still  increase  the  alarm  in 
the  country,  for  which  reason  I  would  risk  what  are  there 
at  present,  and  order  the  Director-General  not  to  send 
any  more  there. 

"  I  shall  set  out  immediately  for  Burlington.  I  have 
given  Lieutenant-Colonel  Abeel  orders  to  procure  wag- 
ons and  send  off  all  the  spare  ammunition  to  Hunting- 
ton, the  heavy  cannon  to  Bordentown.  At  my  arrival  at 
Burlington,  I  will  inquire  of  the  Commodore  respecting 
the  matters  by  you  directed. 

"  General  McDougal's  division  will  quarter  here  to- 
night, and  march  at  five  in  the  morning  for  Burlington. 
I  think  there  are  as  many  troops  gone  forward  as  will  be 
able  to  get  over  to-day.  I  shall  push  on  the  troops  as  fast 
as  possible  without  injuring  their  health.     I  sent  forward 


532  LIFE    OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

one  of  my  aids  to  Eurlingtoii  early  this  morning,  to  super- 
intend the  eni'oarkation  of  the  troops  and  baggage." 

Next  morning  he  writes  from  Burlington  at  nine 
o'clock  :  — 

"  Three  brigades  are  now  on  the  march  for  head- 
quarters,—  my  division  and  General  Glover's  brigade. 
General  McDongal's  division  is  not  yet  come  to  town. 
They  had  orders  to  march  at  four  this  morning,  and 
I  was  in  hopes  they  would  have  been  in  town  by  the 
time  Glover's  brigade  got  over  the  river.  I  am  afraid  the 
want  of  provision  has  detained  them  this  morning. 

"  It  is  with  the  utmost  difficulty  we  can  get  bread  to 
eat.  The  commissary  of  purchases  of  flour  is  very  ill 
managed  ;  there  is  no  magazine  of  consequence,  and  the 
army  served  from  hand  to  mouth.  The  baggage  cannot 
be  got  over  by  to-morrow  night. 

"  Mr.  Tench  Francis,  an  uncle  of  Colonel  Tilghman, 
was  brought  to  me  a  prisoner  this  morning  ;  he  was  taken 
at  Gloucester.  He  says  Lord  Cornwallis's  detachment 
consisted  of  about  six  thousand  ;  that  none  embarked  yes- 
terday ;  he  also  adds  that  the  reinforcement  consisted  of 
about  twenty-five  hundred  from  New  York. 

"  General  Howe  designs  to  make  an  immediate  attack 
upon  the  army,  unless  the  weather  is  bad.  This  is  the 
general  conversation  of  the  officers  of  all  ranks.  Mr. 
Francis  says  he  thinks  the  enemy  design  to  burn  and  de- 
stroy wherever  they  go.^ 

"  Germantown  is  devoted  to  destruction.  The  enemy 
plundered  everybody  within  their  reach,  and  almost  of 
everything  they  had.  It  is  the  common  conversation 
among  the  officers  of  all  ranks,  that  they  design  to  divide 
our  land  as  soon  as  the  country  is  conquered. 

1  This  proved  too  true.  —  See  Reed's  Life  of  President  Reed. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  533 

"  The  obstinate  resistance,  they  say,  made  at  Mud 
Island  has  broke  the  campaign." 

Again  Washington  replies  immediately  :  — 

"  Captain  Diiplessis  has  just  delivered  me  yours  of  this 
morning  from  Burlington.  Every  account  from  Philadel- 
phia confirms  the  repoi't  that  the  enemy  mean  to  make  a 
speedy  move.  I  shall  not  be  disappointed  if  they  come 
out  this  night  or  very  early  in  the  morning.  You  will 
therefore  push  forward  the  rear  brigades  with  all  possible 
expedition,  and  the  moment  the  troops  and  baggage  have 
all  passed,  let  the  boats  be  instantly  sent  up  the  river  to 
Coryell's  Ferry  ;  for  one  part  of  my  information  is  that 
the  enemy  are  preparing  to  send  boats  up  the  Delaware, 
and  it  cannot  be  for  any  other  purpose  than  to  destroy 
the  remainder  of  our  water-craft.  I  shall  be  glad  that 
you  would  come  on  immediately  upon  the  receipt  of  this, 
and  send  word  back  to  the  brigadiers  to  hasten  tlieir 
march. 


"  1 


And  thus  ended  Greene's  week  in  the  Jerseys. 
"  If  an  attack  can  be  made  on  Lord  Cornwallis  with 
a  prospect  of  success,  I  am  persuaded  it  will  be 
done,"  wrote  Washington  to  the  President  of  Con- 
gress on  the  23d.^  "  General  Greene  has  not  been 
in  sufficient  force  to  see  Cornwallis  in  the  field,"  ^ 
wrote  Reed  to  the  President  of  Pennsylvania  on 
the  30th.  And  on  the  same  day  Cadwallader  wrote 
Eeed  from  head-quarters,  "  Greene  and  the  detach- 
ment from  New  Jersey  are  all  arrived  in  camp." 
....  Greene  had  intended  to  attack  Cornwallis, 

1  See  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.        2  11,;^^  p   157. 
V.  p.  174.  3  Life  of  Reed,  Vol.  I.  p.  341. 


534  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

and  had  made  his  disposition,  but  prudently  declined 
it.  The  attempt  in  my  opinion  was  dangerous,  as 
two  or  three  thousand  men  could  have  been  thrown 
in  his  rear,  or  a  reinforcement  sent  over  to  Glou- 
cester in  the  night  without  notice."  ^  Such  were 
the  contemporary  judgments  of  his  conduct  ; 
and  when  all  the  feelings  of  the  day  were  passed, 
Marshall,  with  Washington's  papers  before  him, 
wrote  :  — 

"  Washington  still  hoped  to  recover  much  of  what  had 
been  lost.  A  victory  would  restore  the  Jersey  shore,  and 
this  object  was  deemed  so  important  tbat  General  Greene's 
instructions  indicated  the  expectation  that  he  would  be  in 
a  condition  to  fight  Lord  Cornwallis. 

"  That  judicious  officer  feared  the  reproach  of  avoiding 
an  action  less  than  the  just  censure  of  sacrificing  the  real 
interests  of  his  country  by  engaging  the  enemy  on  disad- 
vantageous terms."  ^ 

The  expectations  of  an  attack  were  well  founded. 
On  the  4th,  the  British  general  came  out  with  all 
his  strength  and  took  post  on  Chestnut  Hill,  in  front 
of  the  right  wing  of  the  Americans.  On  the  11th, 
Washington,  with  a  touch  of  humor  not  unfrequent 
in  his  letters,  wrote  Governor  Livingston  of  New 
Jersey  :  — 

"  General  Howe,  after  making  great  preparations  and 
threatening  to  drive  us  beyond  the  mountains,  came  out 
with  his  whole  force  last  Thursday  evening,  and  after 
manoeuvring  round  us  till  the  Monday  following,  de- 
camped very  hastily,  and  marched  back  to  Pliiladel- 
phia."3 

1  Life  of  Reed,  Vol.  I.  p.  349.        »  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.  182. 

2  Marshall,  Vol.  I.  p.  180. 


1777.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  635 

There  was  still  another  reason  for  Washington's 
hastening  call  to  Greene.  The  season  was  far  ad- 
vanced, the  weather  was  cold,  the  troops  were 
sufferino-  for  want  of  clothino;  and  shelter,  the 
enemy  were  already  in  good  winter  quarters  ;  but 
where  should  the  Americans  take  up  theirs  ?  The 
general  sentiment  was  in  favor  of  a  line  from  Lan- 
caster to  Readino;.  Greene,  with  Cadwallader  and 
a  few  others,  thought  Wilmington  a  better  position. 
At  last,  after  much  discussion,  and  principally  upon 
the  opinions  of  the  gentlemen  from  Pennsylvania, 
Washington  decided  upon  Valley  Forge.  "  Accord- 
ing to  the  original  plan,"  writes  Reed  to  President 
Wharton,  "  a  brigade  of  Continental  troojDS  was  to 
be  left  with  the  militia  on  this  side  Schuylkill,  and 
(this  pkm),  which  when  I  wrote  I  thought  was  ap- 
proved of  by  his  Excellency,  has  upon  other  advice 
been  totally  changed.  General  Greene,  Cadwalla- 
der, and  myself  had  fixed  upon  this  plan  as  the 
most  eligible  to  quiet  the  minds  of  the  people  and 
cover  the  country."  ^ 

1  Life,  Vol.  L  pp.  353,  354. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

Winter  March  to  Valley  Forge.  — The  Valley.  — Hut  Building.— 
The  Encampment.  — Position  condemned  by  De  Kalb  and  Varnum. 
—  Alarm  from  the  Enemy.  —  Distress  of  the  Army  for  Food.  — 
Letters.  —  Discontent.  —  Congressional  Committee.  —  Greene  sent 
to  collect  Supplies.  —  Letters  to  Washington. 

"YIT  INTER  had  set  in  with  more  than  its  wonted 
*  '  severity.  The  ground  was  frozen  hard,  the 
rivers  would  soon  be  frozen  also,  and  snow  come 
to  block  up  the  roads  and  collect  in  chilling  drifts 
around  the  tents.  Few  of  the  men  had  blankets, 
fewer  still  whole  clothes ;  many  had  but  half  a 
shirt,  some  none  at  all ;  still  more  were  without 
shoes  or  covering  of  any  kind  to  their  feet ;  num- 
bers were  compelled  to  sit  up  all  night  by  their 
watch-fires  to  keep  themselves  from  freezing.  The 
Quartermaster-General  had  not  been  near  the  army 
since  July  ;  the  commissaries,  in  spite  of  Washing- 
ton's positive  commands,  were  constantly  behind- 
hand with  their  supplies  of  food; ^  the  hospitals 
were  full ;  the  graveyards  filling  daily.  There 
were  but  eleven  thousand  and  ninety-eight  men  in 
the  ^vllole  anny,  and  of  these  two  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  ninety-eight  were  unfit  for  duty.      In 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.  158. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  537 

nineteen  days,  from  the  4th  to  the  23d  of  Decem- 
ber, the  ranks  "decreased  near  two  thousand 
men."  -^ 

With  these  the  winter  march  from  Whitemarsh 
to  Valley  Forge  began ;  happily  not  a  long  one, 
for  it  was  tracked  all  the  way  with  blood  from  the 
soldiers'  bare  feet.^  A  storm  held  them  at  Gulph 
Mills  through  the  17th.  They  remained  there  the 
18th  also,  to  keep  with  becoming  solemnity  the 
Thanksgiving  which  Congress  had  ordered;'^  and 
on  the  19th  they  reached  the  humble  valley  w^hich 
their  sufferings  and  endurance  have  made  im- 
mortal. 

It  is  a  "  deep,  short "  valley  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Schuylkill,  about  twenty  miles  from  Philadel- 
phia,* forming  "  the  first  step  of  the  hills  that 
reach  to  North  Mountain  or  the  Blue  Ridge,"  °  and 
just  within  the  circle  of  operations  of  the  last  few 
weeks.  A  small  creek  runs  through  the  upper 
part  of  it,  turning  the  wheels  of  a  cotton-factory 
now,  as  then  it  set  in  motion  the  trip-hammer 
of  Isaac  Potts's  forge,  from  which  the  valley  took 
its  name.  The  hills  that  surrounded  it  were  cov- 
ered with  trees ;  and  the  whole  region  was  rich  in 
iron  ore.  The  creek  and  forge  may  have  re- 
minded   Greene   of   his   own  forge    at  Coventry, 

1  All  of  these  facts  are  drawn  from  *  Gordon  says  about  sixteen,  Vol. 
Washington's  Letters,  chiefly  Vol.  V.  III.  p.  11.  Washington,  about  twen- 
December  and  January,  1777-78.  ty.  Vol.  V. 

2  Gordon,  Vol.  III.  p.  12,  on  5  j^ee.  Memoirs  of  the  War  in 
Washington's  authority.  the  Southern  Department,  Vol.  I.  p. 

^  Kapp,  Kalb's  Leben,  p.  127.  47. 


538  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

uliich  also  stood  on  the  banks  of  a  pretty  stream, 
Mitli  a  wooded  hill  sloping  down  to  the  water's 
edge.  But  sad  anticipations  must  have  come  over 
him  as  he  looked  ovit  upon  the  desolate  land- 
scape, and  thought  how  hard  it  would  be  to  pro- 
vide daily  food  for  the  well  and  suitable  diet  for 
the  sick. 

Shelter  was  easier  to  find ;  and  soon  the  men 
were  spreading  over  the  hillsides  and  through  the 
woods  in  regular  "  parties  of  twelve,"  cutting  down 
the  trees,  lopping  off  the  branches,  measuring  the 
logs,  and,  as  fast  as  they  were  ready,  rolling  them 
to  the  spot  marked  out  for  each  hut  by  a  super- 
intendent chosen  from  the  field-officers  of  each 
brigade.  Lucky  was  the  regiment  which  had  most 
carpenters  or  woodchoppers  in  it,  and  surest  to  win 
the  twelve  dollars'  "  reward  "  that  Washington  had 
offered  "the  party  in  each  which  finished  its  hut 
ill  the  quickest  and  most  workmanlike  manner."  ^ 
From  morning  till  night,  all  through  the  short 
winter  day,  the  sound  of  busy  axes  was  heard  in 
the  keen  air,  mingling  with  the  crash  of  falling 
trees  and  the  voices  of  men ;  while  up  and  down 
through  the  whole  space  went  the  brigade  in- 
spectors and  regimental  inspectors,  issuing  their 
orders  in  the  sharp,  decided  tone  of  military  com- 
mand, and  making  sure  that  each  hut  was  set  in 
the  ])roper  line,  and  built  in  the  proper  proportions. 
And  suddenly  uprose  to  the  music  of  these  min- 

'  Order  of  the  Day,  rJeccmbcr  18,     the  huts.  —  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p. 
which  contains  full  specifications  for     524. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  539 

gled  sounds  a  little  town  of  huts,  with  its  regular 
streets  and  avenues ;  each  hut  fourteen  feet  by  six- 
teen, with  roof  and  doors  of  split  oak  slabs,  with 
log  sides  six  feet  and  a  half  high,  made  tight  with 
clay,  and  a  chimney  of  clay  and  wood  rising  a  foot 
or  two  above  the  roof,  —  the  roof  itself  a  single 
sharp  slope  that  would  shed  easily  the  coming 
snow.  The  one  door  and  one  window  opened  upon 
the  street,  and  the  fireplace  stood  opposite  the 
door.^  On  a  line  in  the  rear  of  the  huts  of  the 
men  were  the  huts  of  the  officers,  larger  somewhat, 
and  with  two  windows.  Each  general  officer  had 
a  hut  for  himself,  and  another  for  his  staff;  each 
regiment  one  for  its  field-officers,  and  one  for  the 
regimental  stafi";  every  two  companies  one  for  its 
commissioned  officers,  and  one  for  every  twelve 
non-commissioned  officers  and  privates.  Troops 
from  the  same  State  were  lodged  in  the  same 
street  or  in  the  same  quarter.  In  shape  the  whole 
resembled  a  triangle,  with  Valley  Creek  forming 
its  irregular  base,  and  the  Schuylkill  for  its  left 
side ;  or,  perhaps,  rather  a  protracted  oval,  with  the 
hills  and  woods  curving  towards  each  other  with 
a  gradual  inclination,  and  abatis,  redoubts,  and 
pickets  at  different  points,  showing  that  it  was  a 
camp  as  well  as  a  town.  \Yashington's  quarters 
were  in  the  angle  formed  by  the  junction  of  the 
river  and  creek,  in  the  house  of  a  Quaker,  Isaac 
Potts,  which  is  still  standing ;  Greene's,  in  a  hut. 

1  Washington's  Order  of  the  Day,  December  IS,  and  a  manuscript  draw- 
ing in  the  Vamum  Papers. 


540  LIFE   OF    NATH.\NAEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

It  was  not  without  serious  misgivings  and  grave 
discontent  that  some  of  the  officers  looked  upon 
their  winter  quarters.  "None  but  an  interested 
speculator  or  an  ill-wi-^her  of  the  General's,"  writes 
De  Kalb,  "  can  have  suggested  to  him  the  idea  of 
wintering  in  this  wilderness."^  Instead  of  a  camp  to 
rest  in,  while  new  recruits  were  brought  forward, 
and  preparations  made  for  taking  the  field  in  spring, 
he  looked  forward  to  a  hard  winter  campaign. 
"  Who  knows  but  what  we  shall  meet  with  a  mis- 
fortune this  whiter  ?  "  ^  '•  It  is  unparalleled  in  the 
history  of  man,"  writes  Varnum  in  February,  ''  to 
establish  winter  quarters  in  a  country  wasted,  and 
without  a  sino:le  magazine."  ^  How  far  Greene 
shared  in  these  gloomy  anticipations,  there  is  noth- 
ing in  his  letters  to  show ;  but  it  may  safely  be 
assumed  that,  on  this  as  on  every  other  occasion, 
having  expressed  his  own  opinion  frankly,  he  acted 
cordially  and  earnestly  in  carrying  out  the  decision 
of  the  Commander-in-chief 

The  day  of  trial  was  close  at  hand.  On  the  after- 
noon of  the  22d  intelligence  came  that  a  strong 
foraging  party  of  the  enemy  was  "  advancing  to- 
wards Derby."  Orders  were  immediately  issued  for 
the  troops  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  march 
against  it. 

"  When,  behold,"  writes  Washington,  "  to  my  great 
mortification,  I  was  not  only  informed,  but  convinced,  that 

1  Kapp's  De  Kalb,  p.  129.  in  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p. 

'  l^'i  sup.  240,  but  not  among  the  Greene   or 

'  Letter  to  General  Greene,  quoted     Varnum  Papers. 


1777.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  541 

the  men  were  unable  to  stir  on  account  of  provision,  and 
that  a  dangerous  mutiny  begun  the  night  before,  and 
which  with  difficulty  was  suppressed  by  the  spirited  exer- 
tions of  some  officers,  was  still  much  to  be  apprehended 
for  want  of  this  article.  This  brought  forth  the  only 
commissary  in  the  purchasing  line  in  tliis  camp  ;  and 
with  him  this  melancholy  and  alarming  truth,  that  he  had 
not  a  single  hoof  of  any  kind  to  slaughter,  and  not  more 
than  twenty-five  barrels  of  flour  !  From  hence  form  an 
opinion  of  our  situation  when  I  add,  that  he  could  not  tell 
when  to  expect  any."  ^ 

But  what  if  Howe  himself  should  come  out  again  ? 
Shall  we  go  and  meet  him  on  his  own  ground,  when 
we  once  let  him  come  within  a  mile  of  us  without 
attacking  him  ?  "  The  attempt  will  be  exceeding 
hazardous  and  the  success  doubtful,"  said  most  of 
the  general  officers  whom  Sullivan  consulted  by 
Washington's  directions.  But  for  himself,  he  said, 
"  I  am  so  weary  of  the  infernal  clamor  of  the  Penn- 
sylvanians,  that  I  am  for  satisfying  them  at  all 
events,  and  risking  every  consequence  in  an  ac- 
tion. Possibly  we  may  be  successful ;  if  not,  they 
may  be  satisfied ;  and  even  Congress  itself  may 
gain  experience,  and  learn  to  censure  with 
more    caution."  ^ 

The  alarm  from  the  enemy  passed,  but  the  more 
serious  anxiety  caused  by  the  just  discontent  of 
officers  and  men  w^as  not  so  easily  removed. 

"  It  gives  me  the  greatest  pain,"  writes  Greene  to 
Washington  on  tlie  1st  of  January,  "  to  hear  the  mur- 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.         ^  gparks's  Correspondence  of  the 
197.  Eevolution,  Vol.  II.  p.  63. 


\  . 
\ 


542  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1777. 

murs  and  complaints  among  the  officers  for  tlie  want  of 
spirits.  They  say  they  are  exposed  to  the  severity  of  the 
weather,  sultject  to  hard  duty,  and  nothing  but  bread  and 
beef  to  eat  morning,  noon,  and  night,  without  vegetables, 
or  anything  to  drink  but.  cold  water ;  this  is  hard  fare  for 
people  that  have  been  accustomed  to  live  tolerably. 

"  The  officers  observe,  however  disagreeable  their  situ- 
ation, they  would  patiently  submit  to  their  hard  fortune,  if 
the  evil  in  its  own  nature  was  incurable  ;  but  they  think 
by  proper  exertions  spirits  may  be  procured  to  alleviate 
their  distress  until  they  have  an  opportunity  to  provide 
for  themselves. 

"  Lord  Stirling  was  mentioning  yesterday  that  he  had 
made  a  discovery  of  a  considerable  quantity  of  spirits, 
sufficient  to  supply  all  the  officers.  Supposing  his  Lord- 
siiip's  information  to  be  true,  will  it  not  be  consistent  with 
good  policy  to  seize  it  and  distribute  it  among  the  regi- 
ments for  the  use  of  the  officers, —  about  thirty  or  forty 
gallons  for  each  regiment  ?  This  would  give  a  temporary 
relief,  and  the  present  dissatisfaction  seems  to  be  so  great, 
it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  take  some  measures,  if  possible, 
to  silence  as  many  of  the  complaints  as  may  be.  Colonel 
Abeel  has  just  returned  from  Bethlehem,  and  says  there  are 
sixteen  hogsheads  of  spirits  at  that  place  belonging  to  the 
old  commissary  department ;  it  is  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Oakley,  and  was  sent  there  by  Mr.  Ervin.  Colonel  Abeel 
thinks  it  will  be  disposed  of  for  private  property,  if  not  sent 
for  immediately.  Colonel  Abeel  also  observes  there  are 
great  quantities  of  whiskey  sent  into  the  Jerseys  at  Easton, 
and  that  a  full  supply  might  be  had  for  the  use  of  the  army 
if  some  person  was  sent  there  to  seize."  ^ 

A  severe  commentary  this  upon  the  Commissary 
department,  and  forming,  with  Washington's  letter 

^  Greene  Papers,  January,  1778. 


1778.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  543 

of  the  22d  of  December,  a  picture  that  might  well 
have  made  Tories  exult  and  Whigs  tremble.  It 
was  evident  that  this  state  of  things  could  not  con- 
tinue much  longer.  "  Unless  some  great  and  capi- 
tal change  suddenly  takes  place  in  that  line,  this 
army  must  inevitably  be  reduced  to  one  or  other 
of  these  three  things,  —  starve,  dissolve,  or  disperse, 
in  order  to  obtain  subsistence  in  the  best  manner 
they  can."  ^ 

To  add  to  Greene's  own  discomforts,  he  was  suf- 
fering from  "  a  very  disagreeable  pain  in  one  of  his 
eyes."  How  he  felt  as  he  revolved  all  these  things 
in  his  mind  he  tells  us  himself,  in  a  letter  of  Janu- 
ary 3d  to  his  brother  Jacob  :  — 

"  Our  army  are  tenting  themselves  ;  they  are  almost 
worn  out  with  fatigue,  and  greatly  distressed  for  want  of 
clothing,  particularly  the  article  of  shoes  and  stockings. 
The  present  mode  of  clothing  the  army  will  always  leave 
us  without  a  sufficient  supply.  The  change  in  the  Com- 
missary department  has  been  a  very  distressing  circum- 
stance ;  the  army  has  been  fed  from  hand  to  mouth  ever 
since  Mr.  Trumbull  left  it.  Our  operations  have  been 
greatly  retarded  from  the  situation  of  the  Commissary  de- 
partment. The  Quartermaster-General's  department  also 
has  been  in  a  most  wretched  condition.  General  Mifflin, 
who  ought  to  have  been  at  the  head  of  the  business,  has 
never  been  with  the  army  since  it  came  into  the  State. 

"  The  Congress  have  lately  appointed  Colonel  Wilkin- 
son to  the  rank  of  a  brigadier,  and  Brigadier-General 
Conway  to  the  rank  of  major-general.  Both  these  ap- 
pointments are  exceedingly  disgusting  to  the  army ;  the 

1  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.  197. 


544  LIFE    OF   NATILiN^VEL    GREENE.  [1778. 

first  to  the  colonels,  the  last  to  the  brigadiers.  The  army 
is  exceedingly  convulsed  by  these  appointments,  and  God 
knows  what  will  be  the  issue !  Almost  all  the  colonels  in 
the  army  will  resign  in  conseq\ience  of  Wilkinson's  ap- 
pointment. General  Gates  is  exceedingly  blamed  for  rec- 
ommending the  measure. 

"  General  Conway  is  a  man  of  much  intrigue  and  little 
judgment.  He  is  a  great  incendiary,  of  a  restless  spirit, 
and  always  contriving  to  pufF  himself  off  to  the  public  as 
an  officer  of  great  consequence.  He  left  the  army  under 
pretence  of  gohig  to  France,  alleging  for  reason  that  there 
was  the  greatest  probability  of  a  French  war,  and  that  he 
should  injure  his  interests  by  staying  here.  Everybody  in 
the  army  thought  he  was  gone.  But  he  stole  away  to 
Congress,  got  in  with  some  of  the  court  faction  to  trumpet 
his  consequence  to  the  Congress,  and  they  hastily  ap- 
pointed him  a  major-general,  to  the  prejudice  of  the  briga- 
diers, who,  to  a  man,  will  resign  their  commissions  if  he 
holds  his  rank  and  remains  ii;i  the  army.  This  appoint- 
ment ai)pears  to  have  been  obtained  by  such  low  artifices 
that  everybody  despises  him  for  it.  The  Marquis  Lafay- 
ette, and  all  the  other  French  gentlemen,  will  hardly  speak 
to  him.  He  is  the  greatest  novice  in  war,  in  everything 
but  discij)lining  a  regiment,  that  ever  I  saw.  He  is  by  no 
means  of  an  enterprising  military  turn  of  mind,  and  of 
very  little  activity.  This  is  the  true  character  of  the  man, 
and  yet  he  is  palmed  off  upon  the  public,  by  little  arts,  as 
the  first  military  man  upon  the  continent. 

"  Our  cause  is  sure  if  we  do  not  get  divided  among  our- 
selves. But  there  is  great  danger  that  we  shall.  Men  of 
great  ambition,  and  without  principle  or  virtue,  will  sac- 
rifice everything  to  their  private  views.  The  army  in 
general  has  been  very  well  united  ;  but  I  am  afraid  the 
injudicious  appointments  made  in  Congress  will  ruin  it. 

"  You  mention  my  letter  to  Governor  Cook,  in  which  I 


1778.J  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  545 

pronounce  the  division  in  the  British  force  as  a  fortunate 
circumstance  for  America.  The  events  of  the  campaign 
have  verified  it.  And  had  our  force  been  equal  to  Gen- 
eral Howe's,  or  at  least  as  much  superior  as  the  Northern 
army  was  to  Burgoyne's,  he  must  have  shared  the  same 
fate.  But,  alas  !  we  have  fought  with  vastly  superior 
numbers,  and,  although  twice  defeated,  have  kept  the  field. 
History  affords  but  few  examples  of  the  kind.  The  peo- 
ple may  think  there  has  not  been  enough  done,  but  our 
utmost  endeavors  have  not  been  wanting.  Our  army, 
with  inferior  numbers,  badly  found,  badly  clothed,  worse 
fed,  and  newly  levied,  must  liave  required  good  general- 
ship to  triumpli  over  superior  numbers  well  found,  well 
clothed,  well  fed,  and  veteran  soldiers.  We  cannot  con- 
quer the  British  force  at  once,  but  they  cannot  conquer 
us  at  all.  The  limits  of  the  British  government  in  Amer- 
ica are  their  out-sentinels. 

"  Reports  prevail  very  strongly  again  of  a  French  war. 
I  honestly  confess  to  you  I  do  not  believe  it,  for  France 
can  have  no  pretext  for  declaring  war,  and  certainly  it  is 
not  the  interest  of  Great  Britain  to  do  it.  But,  neverthe- 
less, it  may  happen.  I  wish  Congress  may  not  be  lulled 
into  security  from  their  late  successes  to  the  North,  and 
their  hopes  of  a  French  explosion.  It  is  our  business  to 
levy  a  new  army  as  soon  as  possible  ;  each  State  to  fur- 
nish its  proportion  by  a  draft.  Tliere  is  no  such  thing  as 
filling  the  army  by  voluntary  enlistments  as  speedily  as 
■will  be  necessary  to  open  the  campaign  to  advantage. 
Each  State  will  be  compelled  hereafter  to  furnish  clothing 
for  their  own  troops.  The  present  mode  of  clothing  the 
army  is  ruinous.  We  have  had  three  thousand  soldiers 
unfit  for  duty  for  want  of  clothing  this  fall  and  winter. 
The  Rhode  Island  troops  iiave  done  themselves  great 
honor  this  campaign.  Colonel  Greene's  character  is  in 
high  estimation.      Major  Thayer  distinguished  himself  at 

35 


546  LIFE   OF    NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1778. 

Fort  Mifflin,  and  has  acquired  universal  applause.  Your 
troops  are  trenerally  exceedingly  well  officered  from  the 
northward  this  year.  General  Gates  is  a  child  of  fortune  ; 
the  successes  to  the  northward  are  all  glorious.  General 
Arnold  and  General  Lincoln  are  in  high  esteem  ;  and  it 
is  said  General  Burgoyne  gives  Arnold  the  credit  for  the 
successes  obtained  over  him. 

"  I  am  happy  that  the  work  is  but  done.  I  do  not  care 
who  does  it.  But  I  should  like  to  have  a  hand  in  the 
miscliief. 

"  I  have  no  hope  of  coming  home  this  winter  ;  the  Gen- 
eral will  not  grant  me  permission.  Mrs.  Greene  is  coming 
to  camp.  We  are  all  going  into  log-huts,  —  a  sweet  life 
after  a  most  fatiguing  campaign." 

A  few  days  later  we  find  him  once  more  address- 
ing Congress  upon  the  subject  of  promotions ;  not 
for  his  own  sake,  for  the  elevation  of  Conway  and 
Wilkinson  left  his  rank  uninvaded,  but  for  the 
army's  sake,  and  the  sake  of  sound  principles. 
It  was  a  delicate  subject  to  touch  upon,  with  Du 
Coudray's  affair  so  fresh  in  the  memory  of  Con- 
gress. Nothing  was  easier  than  to  raise  the  cry  of 
military  dictation,  and  hold  him  up  to  the  country 
as  undertaking  to  give  law  to  the  civil  authority. 
All  this  he  knew,  and,  weighing  it  carefully  in  his 
own  mind,  decided  that  his  duty  required  of  him 
a  frank  and  full  statement  of  the  question.  It  is 
more  than  probable  that,  before  putting  hand  to 
his  pen,  he  took  counsel  with  Washington,  even  if 
it  was  not  at  Washington's  suggestion  that  he 
wrote. 

"  I  would  take  the  liberty,"  he  writes,  "  of  addressing 


1778.]  LIFE    OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  547 

Congress,  through  you,  upon  a  subject  which  appears  to 
me  of  great  importance  ;  and  which,  in  my  opinion, 
deserves  the  most  serious  attention.  It  is  the  present 
prevaihng  discontent  among  the  officers  in  two  capital 
lines  of  the  army ;  to  wit,  the  colonels  and  brigadiers. 
I  am  to  say  this  discontent  has  arisen  to  such  a  height, 
and  is  so  general,  as  to  forebode  the  most  alarming  con- 
sequences. 

"  This  dissatisfaction  proceeds  principally  from  some 
promotions  which  have  taken  place  lately,  by  which  the 
officers  in  those  lines  respectively  conceive  themselves 
most  materially  and  essentially  injured  in  their  rank  ;  the 
first  more  particularly  in  the  promotion  of  Colonel  Wil- 
kinson, the  last  in  that  of  Brigadier-General  Conway  to 
the  rank  of  major-general.  They  feel  the  force  of  the 
injury  doubly  in  these  instances  from  being  superseded  by 
those  who  had  served  in  subordinate  stations.  I  cannot 
pretend  to  say  upon  what  principle  those  gentlemen  were 
promoted  ;  but  I  doubt  whether  the  advantages  resulting 
from  their  rise  will  answer  the  flattering  expectations  of 
Congress  in  their  appointments.  I  do  not  wish  to  lessen 
their  merit,  but  I  believe  it  is  generally  thought  their 
promotions  have  been  to  the  prejudice  of  others  at  least 
as  deserving  as  themselves,  and  who  had  superior  claims 
in  every  other  point  of  view. 

"  The  officers  of  the  army  say  they  engaged  in  the^ 
service  of  their  country,  not  only  from  a  sense  of  duty  as 
citizens,  but  with  the  fullest  confidence  that  the  justice  of 
Congress  would  secure  to  them  their  rank,  and  the  right 
of  promotion  according  to  the  rules  which  prevail  in  all 
well-regulated  armies.  If  they  conceive  these  principles 
to  be  violated,  if  they  lose  their  confidence  in  the  justice 
of  Congress,  it  is  easy  to  foresee  the  fatal  effects  that  will 
result.  Military  ardor  will  languish  ;  a  spirit  of  enter- 
prise will  cease  ;  men  of  honor  will  decline  the  service ; 


548  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1778. 

art  and  cabal  will  succeed,  and  low  intrigue  will  be  the 
characteristic  and  genius  of  the  army. 

"  I  am  persuaded,  Sir,  the  army  is  not  blind  to  merit, 
neitiicr  are  they  averse  to  measures  calculated  to  promote 
their  true  political  interest,  the  interest  and  happiness  of 
their  country  ;  the  former  they  wish  to  be  rewarded,  and 
the  latter  ever  attended  to.  But  with  difficulty  they  will 
be  brouglit  to  confess  merit  in  officers  from  their  appoint- 
ment wiiich  never  has  been  discovered  in  the  field. 

"  That  the  Congress  should  have  the  power  to  reward 
is  acknowledged  by  all,  and  that  great  political  reasons 
will  justify  the  introducing  officers  in  some  instances,  and 
promoting  them  in  others  out  of  the  common  line,  none 
can  deny.  However,  merit  and  the  reasons  of  state  in 
such  cases  should  be  obvious.  If  they  are  not,  the  pro- 
motion will  be  viewed  with  disgust.  Under  the  above  dis- 
tinction I  am  happy  to  mention  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette. 
This  nobleman's  generous,  disinterested  conduct,  his  sac- 
rifices to  our  cause,  and  his  great  merit,  gave  him  a  just 
claim  to  an  honorable  notice. 

"  I  have  delivered  my  sentiments  with  great  candor  on 
this  important  occasion  ;  the  subject  demanded  it,  duty 
required  it.  I  am  not  personally  affected  by  the  injuries 
complained  of,  nor  am  I  immediately  interested  in  any 
manner  but  as  a  man  whose  only  wish  is  to  promote  the 
Jiappiness  of  his  country."  ^ 

How  serious  the  question  was  Congress  had  a 
present  opportunity  of  judging,  fiDr  letters  from  nine 
brigadiers  were  read  on  the  same  day  with  Greene's, 
the  10th,  and  Washington's  opinion  was  known  to 
accord  with  theirs.    Still,  the  faction  of  which  I  have 

1  Greene  Papers,  Letter  to  President  of  Congress,  Valley  Forge,  January 
12,  1778. 


1778.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  549 

already  spoken,  and  soon  shall  have  occasion  to 
speak  agam,  was  at  its  height.  Conway  had  many 
friends  in  Congress  :  Gates  had  just  been  put  at  the 
head  of  the  Board  of  War ;  Wilkinson  had  been 
appointed  Secretary.  The  letters  were  ordered  to 
lie  upon  the  table  ;  and  as  the  war  went  on  Greene 
had  reason,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  to  believe 
that  his  letter  at  least  was  neither  forgotten  nor 
forgiven. 

The  question  of  the  army  was  daily  becoming 
more  urgent.  The  system  of  short  enlistments  had 
been  abandoned.  It  had  been  resolved  henceforth 
to  engage  men  for  three  years  or  for  the  war.  But 
when  the  remedy  came,  the  evils  of  the  original 
organization  had  swollen  to  alarming  proportions. 
Not  the  least  of  those  evils  was  tiie  reliance  placed 
upon  the  militia,  who,  coming  out  for  short  terms  of 
service,  brought  with  them  to  camp  the  indepen- 
dence of  civil  life,  wasting  in  a  few  weeks  supplies 
that  would  have  carried  disciplined  men  through  a 
campaign,  and  deterring  hundreds  from  enlisting 
in  the  regular  army  by  the  high  prices  which  they 
paid  for  substitutes.^  A  deep-seated  discontent  was 
spreading  among  the  officers  of  every  rank.  "  No 
day,  nor  scarce  an  hour  passes,"  wrote  Washington 
in  December,  "  without  the  offer  of  a  resigned  com- 
mission." ^  When  the  war  began  an  officer's  pay 
was  sufficient  for  all  his  wants ;  but  now,  the  frugal 

1  How  unfavorably  this  impressed  foreign  officers  may  be  seen  by  a  letter 
of  De  Kalb  in  Kapp's  Life  of  that  general,  p.  130, 
.    2  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p.  20L 


550  LIFE    OF   NATnANAEL    GREENE.  [1778. 

De  Kalb  tolls  us  that  with  all  his  economy  he  "  had 
to  pay  his  host  two  hundred  and  forty-two  francs  for 
a  fortnight's  supply  of  milk."  ^  Depreciation  was 
already  within  twelve  months  of  the  point  when 
a  member  of  Congress  was  "  asked  four  hutidred 
dollars  for  a  hat,  three  hundred  for  a  pair  of  leather 
breeches,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  for  a  pair 
of  shoes,  and  a  suit  of  clothes  sixteen  hundred."  ^ 
Roused  at  length  by  the  remonstrances  of  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief, Congress  took  the  matter  seriously 
in  hand,  and  sent  a  committee  of  six  of  its  members 
to  camp  with  full  powers  to  examine  the  subject  and 
propose  the  necessary  reforms.^  Two  of  Greene's 
personal  friends.  Reed  and  Gouverneur  Morris,  were 
on  this  committee  ;  on  which  we  find  another  name 
familiar  to  the  statesmen  and  lawyers  of  that  day, 
—  Francis  Dana,  familiar  to  the  men  of  the  last  and 
the  present  generation  by  the  poetical  honors  of  his 
son,  and  the  literary  and  professional  honors  of  his 
grandson.  Washington,  having  collected,  as  was 
his  custom,  the  opinions  of  his  general  officers,  and 
carefully  considered  them,  laid  the  result  before  the 
committee  in  an  elaborate  report  upon  the  state  of 
the  army.* 

Meanwhile,  the  people  of  Rhode  Island  were 
living  in  constant  alarm  from  the  continued  occu- 
pation of  Newport  and  the  Island  by  the  enemy. 
General    Spencer,  whose    failure  in  the  projected 

1  f7l  sup.  1.14.  3  See  Journals  of  Congress,  1778, 

2  Life  of  Samuel  Adams,  Vol.  IIL     January  10,  13,  and  20. 

p.  .51,  a  work  of  great  interest  and        *  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p. 
value.  525,  and  note.  ♦ 


1778.]  UFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  551 

expedition  of  the  preceding  summer,  had  given  rise 
to  serious  doubts  of  his  quahfications  for  so  im- 
portant a  command,  liad  sent  in  his  resignation,  and 
Congress  accepting  it  with  suggestive  promptness, 
resolved  that  his  place  should  immediately  be  filled 
by  an  officer  of  equal  rank.  Governor  Cooke  and  his 
advisers  naturally  fixed  their  eyes  upon  Greene.^ 

"  Governor  Cooke  wrote  me  a  few  days  since,"  he 
writes  to  his  brother  Jacob  on  the  7th  of  February,  "  a 
most  alarming  letter  respecting  the  situation  of  Rhode 
Island.  Mr.  Ellery  ^  proposed  to  me  to  take  the  command 
tliere,  provided  it  was  agreeable  to  his  Excellency ;  but 
he  is  totally  averse  to  the  measure.  General  Spencer  has 
resigned  :  who  will  take  the  command  I  know  not.  I  wish 
General  Sullivan  may,  as  I  can  think  of  no  person  who  will 
do  it  more  justice.  I  am  in  hopes  to  prevail  on  the  Gen- 
eral to  let  the  Rhode  Island  troops  return  liome  and  there 
continue  until  the  enemy  leaves  the  State.  I  flatter  my- 
self they  will  fill  up  their  ranks  very  soon  if  they  go  home 
with  that  understanding."  ^ 

All  this  while  the  army  was  still  living  from  hand 
to  mouth,  one  day  without  bread,  angther  without 
meat,  and  often  *upon  the  verge  of  finding  them- 
selves without  either  meat  or  bread.*  Washington 
had  been  invested  with  extensive  powers  to  lay  the 
country  under  contribution,  but  was  reluctant  to 
use  them.^     The  inhabitants  over  a  wide  circuit  and 

1  Journals  of  Congress,  Januan*  *  Washington  to  Governor  Clinton. 
13,  1778.  Sparks,  Vol.  V.  p.  240. 

2  William  EUery,  who,  upon  the  *  Washington  to  President  of  Con- 
death  of  Samuel  Ward,  had  been  gress.  —  Sparks,  Vol.  V.  p.  209. 
chosen  to  take  his  place  in  Congress.  For  the   feeling  of  Congress,  com- 

2  See  also  a  lettef  of  February  5,     pare  Journals  of  Congress,  December 
■  1778,  to  Governor  Cooke.  10,  1777. 


552  LIFE    OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  L1778. 

all  around  the  camp  were  deeply  disaffected,  and 
consequently  unwilling  to  give  their  cattle  and 
crrain  for  American  certificates  when  thev  could 
always  get  British  gold  for  them  at  Philadelphia/ 
Never  since  the  retreat  through  the  Jerseys  had  the 
disaffection  seemed  so  wide-spread  or  so  alarming; 
never  had  the  army  been  so  close  upon  dissolution. 
Washington  resolved  to  send  out  a  large  party,  and 
seize  by  the  strong  hand  whatever  could  not  be 
had  by  purchase.  Greene  was  put  in  command  of 
it,  —  a  painful  duty ;  but  from  the  beginning  of  the 
contest  he  had  held  that  war  was  a  state  of  violence, 
subject  to  laws  of  its  own,  and  they  who  were  not 
for  their  country  w^ere  against  her.  How  vigorously 
he  acted  up  to  this  princijDle  his  own  letters  show. 

"  We  are  posted  at  this  place,"  he  writes  from  head- 
quarters,— Springfield  Meeting-house,  February  14,  1778,^ 
—  '•  and  purpose  to  collect  all  the  cattle,  carriages,  &c., 
<fec.,  in  and  about  the  neighborhood  to-day ;  to-morrow 
we  purpose  to  take  post  at  one  Edwards's,  about  six  miles 
in  our  rear.  We  have  ordered  all  the  collections  made 
to-day  to  EdwaVds's  Tavern  to-night.  I  must  beg  you  to 
exert  yourself  in  obtaining  forage,  otherwise  the  business 
will  go  on  slow.  Tell  all  the  wagoners  and  the  officers 
that  have  the  superintendence  of  the  wagons  that  I  will 
punish  the  least  neglect  with  the  greatest  severity.  You 
must  forage  the  country  naked,  and,  to  prevent  their  com- 
plaint of  the  want  of  forage,  we  must  take  all  their  cattle, 

i  Sparks'sLifeofGouvcrneurMor-  Sparks's   Washington,    Vol.    V.    p. 

ris.     Morris  to  Jay,  Vol.   I.  p.  154.  222. 

Reed  to  President  Wharton.     Life  of        -   Probably    to     Colonel     Biddlc, 

Jo.seph  Reed,  Vol.  I.  p.  3.")8.     Wash-  among    -whose    papers    tlie    original 

ington    to    Colonel    W.   Stewart.  —  was  found,  though  without  address. 


1778.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  553 

sheep,  and  horses  fit  for  the  use  of  the  armj.    Let  us  hear 
from  you  and  know  how  you  go  on." 

Reports  come  in,  but  not  as  favorable  reports  as 
he  had  hoped  for.  At  half  past  three  of  the  same 
day  he  again  writes  to  Colonel  Biddle  :  — 

"  I  received  two  letters  from  you  within  an  hour  past. 
I  am  very  sorry  to  find  so  small  a  collection  of  wagons. 
Search  the  country  through  and'  through.  Mount  your 
pressing  parties  on  horses  for  expedition's  sake.  Harden 
your  lieart  and  despatch  business  as  fast  as  possible.  I 
have  got  many  parties  out  collecting  wagons,  horses,  cattle, 
hogs,  and  sheep.  The  wagons  I  shall  forward  to  you  as 
fast  as  they  come  in.  We  have  made  considerable  collec- 
tion of  horses,  and  I  tliink  it  will  be  best  to  send  them  to 
camp  to-night,  that  as  many  wagons  may  be  rigged  out  as 
possible,  to  come  on  for  forage. 

"  I  think  I  shall  move  from  this  position  to-night  or  to- 
morrow morning  ;  we  are  in  the  midst  of  a  d — d  nest  of 
Tories,  and  as  we  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  enemy,  a 
change  of  position  becomes  necessary  for  security's  sake." 

He  did  not  change  his  position,  however,  till  the 
■  next  day,  and  in  the  course   of  the  morning  he 
wrote  to  Washington  :  — 

"  We  are  in  want  of  some  of  the  deputy  quartermaster- 
generals  to  conduct  the  business  of  that  department ; 
please  to  send  us  one.  I  received  two  letters  from  Col- 
onel Biddle;  he  has  got  but  few  wagons;  the  inliabitants 
conceal  them  ;  the  Colonel  complains  bitterly  of  the  disaf- 
fection of  the  people.  I  sent  out  a  great  number  of  small 
parties  to  collect  the  cattle,  liorses,  &c.,  yesterday,  but  the 
collection  was  inconsiderable  ;  the  country  is  very  much 
drained;  the  inhabitants  cry 'out  and  beset  me  from  all 


654  LIFE    OF    NATIIANAEL   GREENR  [1778. 

quarters  ;  but  like  Pharaoh  I  harden  my  heart.  Two  men 
were  taken  up  carrying  in  provisions  to  the  enemy  yester- 
day morning.  I  gave  them  a  hundred  each  by  way  of 
example.  I  have  sent  off  all  the  cattle,  sheep,  and  horses. 
I  will  send  on  the  forage  and  all  further  collections  that 
may  be  made  as  fast  as  possible.  I  determine  to  forage 
the  country  very  bare.  Nothing  shall  be  left  unat- 
tempted. 

"  As  provision  will  be  scarce,  especially  of  the  meat 
kind,  if  the  commissaries  could  purchase  a  quantity  of 
sugar,  the  troops,  with  wheat,  might  make  a  fermity  ;  a 
diet  that  would  contribute  to  their  health,  be  palatable 
and  nourishing  to  the  troops.  I  think  it  would  be  a 
very  good  substitute  for  meat,  and  not  much  more  expen- 
sive if  any. 

"  Lieutenant-Colonel  Ballard  was  out  on  a  forasrinor 
business  yesterday  down  about  Derby,  and  got  intelligence 
that  the  enemy's  bridge  (was)  being  removed,  and  that  it 
was  with  difficulty  they  relieved  their  guards,  being  some 
hours  about  it.  He  solicited  a  party  to  attempt  the 
guard  ;  upon  his  earnest  entreaty  I  granted  his  request. 
Enclosed  is  his  report,  by  which  you  will  see  the  attempt 
was  unsuccessful. 

"  I  hope  the  committee  of  Congress  will  not  lose  sight 
of  Colonel  Cox  ;  there  is  no  man  will  serve  their  purpose 
better.  Your  Excellency  may  remember  I  named  Mr. 
Lott  for  that  department ;  please  to  name  him  to  the  com- 
mittee." 

From  this  closing  paragraph  it  would  seem  that 
the  negotiations  which  placed  him  —  sorely^  against 
his  will  —  at  the  head  of  the  quartermaster-gen- 
eral's department  were  already  begun. 

In  the   evening  of  the  same  day  he  wrote  to 


1778.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GEEENE.  555 

Washington  again  from  his  new  quarters  at  Provi- 
dence Meeting-Hoiise.  His  foraging  parties  were 
still  out  scouring  the  country ;  but  says  he  :  — 

"  I  am  afraid  there  will  be  nothing  considerable,  as  the 
country  appears  much  drained.  Hay  is  the  plentifuUest 
article  that  tliere  is  In  the  country  ;  sixty  or  seventy  tons 

may  be  had  in  this  neighborhood To-morrow  we 

shall  mount  a  press  party  on  horses  to  press  wagons  the 
back  of  Brandywine.  The  inhabitants  hereabouts  if  they 
have  any  wagons  or  harness  they  conceal  them." 

Ballard's  attempt,  though  unsuccessful,  seems  to 
have  been  well  planned  and  judiciously  conducted. 
Even  a  partial  success  at  this  moment  would  have 
bad  a  good  moral  effect  upon  the  army,  and  was 
well  worth  the  trial. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  he  writes  to  Greene,  "  to  inform  you  that 
my  scheme  has  proved  ineffectual  ;  the  enemy  had  by 
some  means  got  knowledge  of  our  march  ;  indeed,  we  saw 
a  light-horseman  ride  on  to  give  the  news  when  we  had 
approached  within  about  five  hundred  yards.  We  then 
pushed  on  as  hard  as  possible,  but  found  them  secured  in 
the  stone  house.  They  began  a  very  heavy  fire  before,  we 
got  within  one  hundred  yards,  which  was  very  warmly  re- 
turned on  our  part  till  we  got  within  fifty  yards,  but  con- 
ceiving it  impracticable  to  force  them  out  of  the  house,  I 
ordered  my  men  to  retreat.  They  behaved  exceeding 
brave,  and  would,  I  believe,  have  attempted  staving  the 
doors.  Major  Cable's  party,  who  went  on  the  lower  side 
next  the  Schuylkill,  fell  in  with  a  small  party  ;  he  thinks 
he  killed  several  of  them.  The  poor  fellows  are  exceed- 
ing fatigued,  and  would  be  glad  of  some  whiskey.  I  di- 
rected the  officers  of  each  respective  corps  to  make  out  a 


556 


LIFE    OF   AATIIAN.VEL    GREENR 


[17V8. 


rctiini  for  wliis-key.  Many  of  them  say  tliey  have  n't  had 
a  mouthful  of  meat  these  four  days.  I  am  so  worsted  I 
cannot  wait  upon  you  at  your  quarters.  My  party  met 
with  hut  little  loss,  four  or  five  slightly  wounded,  and  I 
believe  one  or  two  killed." 

On  the  IGth  Greene  ao;ain  writes  to  Washino-ton, 
the  pen  having  now  to  take  the  place  of  the  daily 
intercourse  of  camp. 

"  I  received  your  Excellency's  answer  by  Colonel  Ham- 
ilton to  mine  of  yesterday  morning.  I  wrote  you  again 
last  evening  proposing  the  burning  the  hay  on  the  Jersey 
shore,  also  another  forage  in  Bucks  County.  Upon  re- 
volving the  matter  over  in  my  mind,  I  think  the  following 
would  be  the  best  plan  to  execute  it  upon.  Wagons  can- 
not be  got  in  this  country,  and  to  attempt  to  C9llect  them 
in  Bucks  County  will  explain  our  intentions  too  early 
for  the  safety  of  the  party.  I  would,  therefore,  propose  a 
press-warrant  to  be  sent  to  Colonel  Smith  at  Lancaster, 
and  for  him  to  apply  to  the  executive  council  for  a  hun- 
dred wagons  to  be  got  ready  in  three  days  ;  and  in  case 
they  don't  furnish  them  by  that  time,  that  Colonel  Smith 
collect  the  wagons  with  his  press-warrant  ;  but  if  your 
Excellency  thinks  our  situation  will  justify  dispensing  with 
an  aj)plication  to  the  executive  council,  the  press-warrant 
will  be  the  most  speedy  and  certain  method  of  getting  the 
complement  of  wagons  seasonably.  These  wagons,  when 
collected,  to  be  loaded  with  forage  in  some  of  the  best  hay 
towns  l)etween  camp  and  Lancaster,  and  upon  their  arri- 
val in  camp  to  be  immediately  taken  upon  a  forage  into 
Bucks  County.  The  business  in  this  way  can  be  con- 
ducted with  so  much  secrecy  and  despatch  that  it  will  be 
difficult  for  the  enemy  to  defeat  it. 

"  I  will  do  everything  in  my  power  here,  but  the  face 


1778.]  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  557 

of  the  country  is  strongly  marked  with  poverty  and  dis- 
tress. All  of  the  cattle,  and  most  of  the  best  horses,  have 
been  carried  into  the  city.  Tlie  few  Whigs  that  are  here 
say  there  has  been  great  numbers  drove  ah)ng  for  Phil- 
adelphia market.  We  take  all  the  liorses  and  cattle,  hogs 
and  sheep  fit  for  use  ;  but  the  country  has  been  so  gleaned, 
that  there  is  but  little  left  in  it. 

"  Your  Excellency's  letter  of  tliis  day  tliis  moment 
came  to  hand.  I  had  given  orders  to  all  the  press  parties 
to  bring  the  inhabitants  prisoners  that  concealed  their 
cattle  or  carriages,  and  examples  shall  not  be  wanting  to 
facilitate  the  business  I  am  out  upon. 

"  Captain  Lee  this  moment  writes  of  the  increasing 
distress  of  the  army  for  want  of  provisions.  God  grant 
we  may  never  be  brought  to  such  a  wretched  condition 
again.  General  Wayne  will  cross  over  into  the  Jerseys 
from  Wilmington,  to  execute  the  design  of  destroying  the 
liay  and  driving  in  all  the  stock  from  the  shores,  which 
he  proposes  to  forward  on  to  camp  by  the  shortest  and 
safest  route.  Bat  this  will  not  afford  an  immediate  re- 
lief. I  shall  send  into  camp  this  night  everything  I  can 
collect.  By  this  detachment  my  party  will  be  much 
diminished.  Great  numbers  have  already  been  sent  home 
that  have  fallen  sick  and  got  their  feet  sore  in  marching. 
I  think  it  will  be  best,  therefore,  to  send  two  of  my  field- 
officers  to  camp,  they  being  altogether  useless  to  me." 

"  I  sent  to  camp  yesterday,"  he  writes  from  Providence 
Meeting-house  on  the  17th,  "  near  fifty  head  of  cattle. 
I  wish  it  had  been  in  my  power  to  have  sent  more ;  but 
the  inhabitants  have  taken  the  alarm,  and  concealed  their 
stock  in  such  manner  that  it  is  difficult  finding  any. 
They  have  done  the  same  with  their  wagons  and  har- 
ness. Our  poor  fellows  are  obliged  to  search  all  the 
woods  and  swamps  without  success.      I  have  given  orders 


558 


LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE. 


[1778. 
« 


to  give  no  receipts  for  anytliing  they  find  concealed,  and 
to  notify  the  people  accordingly. 

"  Colonel  Harmer  is  gone  with  a  party  on  the  back  of 
the  forks  of  the  Brandywine,  a  little  above  the  route  of  tlie 
enemy.  General  Wayne  is  gone  to  Wilmington  in  order 
to  cross  over  into  the  Jerseys  ;  but  if  the  ice  won't  per- 
mit him  to  pass,  he  is  to  make  a  large  circuit,  and  come 
in  by  the  way  of  Goshen.  Colonel  Spencer  is  gone  to  the 
township  of  Goshen,  to  rendezvous  at  the  meeting-house, 
to  collect  cattle,  &c.  I  shall  continue  here  until  the  im- 
pressed wagons,  and  all  those  from  camp  are  loaded ;  but 
I  am  afraid  there  will  be  but  few  to  what  our  wants 
demand,  and  what  might  be  loaded  here  with  hay. 
Grain  there  is  but  little  to  be  got. 

"  The  business  I  am  upon  is  very  disagreeable  ;  but  I 
should  be  happy  in  executing  it,  if  our  success  was  equal 
to  our  wants.  The  teams  that  come  into  camp,  that  are 
not  for  the  ordinary  duties  of  it,  should  never  be  suf- 
fered to  continue  there  all  night,  if  it  can  possibly  be 
avoided.  If  ihey  can  get  only  a  few  miles  into  the 
country,  they  can  get  forage  for  their  cattle.  The  trans- 
portation has  become  one  of  the  most  difficult  parts  of 
the  business  of  foraging,  for  forage  is  really  plentier  than 
teams.  AVe  have  collected  a  considerable  number  of 
horses  ;  but  the  officers,  in  spite  of  everything  I  can  say 
to  them,  will  bring  in  many  that  are  unfit  for  our  pur- 
pose. All  such  we  shall  notify  the  inhabitants  to  come 
and  take  them  again.  The  Wliigs  here  are  afraid  to  give 
any  information  respecting  the  Tories  for  fear  that  when 
we  are  gone  they  will  be  carried  prisoners  into  Phil- 
adelphia. 

"  I  am  afraid  we  have  lost  one  of  our  small  parties 
that  was  sent  out  to  collect  cattle  from  Springfield 
meeting-house.  The  party  was  sent  from  Colonel  Shep- 
pard's  division,  commanded  by  one  Romsdell   (an   ex- 


1778.]  LIFE   OF    NATHANAEL    GREENE.  559 

ceeding  good  officer,  Colonel  Sheppard  says),  and  con- 
sisted of  twenty  odd  men ;  they  went  out  day  before 
yesterday  morning  and  have  never  returned.  How  they 
could  have  fallen  into  the  enemy's  hands  I  can't  im- 
magine,  for  I  have  never  heard  of  their  being  out. 

"  I  think  the  officer  must  have  got  lost,  and  fallen  in 
with  the  enemy's  picket  at  the  Ferry,  before  he  knew 
where  he  was.  Or  else  his  men  must  have  made  him  a 
prisoner,  and  carried  in  to  the  enemy,  which  I  don't 
think  improbable,  for  most  of  his  party  were  Virginia 
convicts. 

"  If  the  enemy  had  been  out  and  attacked  him,  it 's 
ten  to  one  but  some  of  the  party  might  have  got  off. 
It 's  possible  the  soldiers  might  kill  the  officer  and  go  in 
themselves  ;  but  by  what  means  he  or  his  party  has 
fallen  into  the  enemy's  hands  I  am  not  able  to  con- 
jecture ;  but  I  am  well  convinced  they  have  by  their 
not  returning,  and  by  an  account  I  have  from  the  city  of 
such  a  party  being  marched  through  it,  the  evening  of 
the  day  they  went  out.  The  intelligence  says  there  was 
no  officer  with  the  men,  which  makes  me  apprehend  foul 
play  ;  but  it 's  all  conjecture. 

"  Colonel  Ballard's  report  did  not  prove  true ;  there 
was  not  a  man  of  his  killed  ;  five  were  slightly  wounded  ; 
he  killed  one  Hessian,  and  mortally  wounded  another ; 
two  of  his  men  on  their  march  deserted. 

"  The  enemy  are  getting  ready  for  a  grand  forage 
somewhere.  The  inhabitants  think,  from  many  circum- 
stances, they  intended  it  on  this  side,  but  I  imagine 
they  will  alter  their  plan  now,  if  they  designed  it  before. 
I  have  no  doubt  of  Bucks  County  being  their  object. 
We  have  burnt  all  the  hay  upon  Tinewin  Island,  and 
the  other  little  islands  about  it.  The  quantity  was  very 
considerable  ;  we  got  a  number  of  very  good  horses  from 
all  the  islands." 


5G0  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL   GREENE.  [1778. 

nis  miiul  was  soon  relieved  from  its  appre- 
hensions for  the  safety  of  Romsdell  and  his  party, 
as  we  see  by  a  letter  of  the  next  day :  — 

"  I  wrote  your  Excellency  yesterday,  that  I  was  afraid 
we  had  lost  one  of  our  small  parties,  but  they  came  in  a 
few  minutes  after  I  sent  the  letter  off.  Has  there  been 
any  great  desertions  from  camp,  or  any  report  of  prison- 
ers made  on  the  other  side  of  the  Schuylkill  ? 

"  I  am  persuaded  there  was  some  of  our  prisoners 
paraded  for  some  purpose.  If  there  has  been  no  report 
of  any  being  lately  taken,  they  have  paraded  some  of 
our  prisoners  from  the  jails,  to  make  the  inhabitants  be- 
lieve they  had  taken  a  considerable  part  of  the  party  that 
attacked  their  picket. 

"  The  time  for  which  I  came  out  expires  to-night ;  but 
as  the  foraging  business  has  been  greatly  obstructed  for 
want  of  wagons,  it  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  continue 
a  few  days  longer.  I  wish  to  know  your  Excellency's 
pleasure  respecting  the  matter,  that  I  may  govern  myself 
accordingly. 

"  I  am  told  by  the  inhabitants  that  one  Mr.  James, 
that  lives  a  few  miles  from  this  place,  has  enlisted  near  a 
hundred  men  from  this  county.  There  has  gone  fifteen 
from  the  town  of  Goshen.  This  corps  is  for  cavalry. 
Most  of  them  have  found  m*eans  to  get  horses.  These 
are  the  reports  of  the  Whigs  here. 

"  I  am  persuaded  there  has  been  too  little  attention 
paid  to  the  branding  the  Continental  horses.  Brands 
would  prevent  their  being  stolen  or  exchanged  ;  but  the 
wagon-masters  must  be  strictly  forbid  exchanging  the 
branded  horses  for  others  only  for  a  temporary  relief, — 
both  parties  often  suffer  by  the  exchange,  —  the  country- 
man often  has  his  branded  horse  taken  from  him ;  and 
the  wagoner  sells  the  other,  or  sends  it  away  by  some  of 


1778.]  LIFE   OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  561 

his  comrades  after  a  few  days'  service.  Indeed,  I  think  if 
every  horse  that  belongs  to  the  Continental  teams  that 
fails  upon  the  road,  and  others  pressed  to  supply  their 
places,  were  immediately  branded  and  paid  for,  the  con- 
tinent would  be  subject  to  less  expense  than  they  now 
are,  and  the  inhabitants  receive  less  injury.  One  of  the 
wagon-masters  told  me  there  were  forty  or  fifty  teams  ex- 
pected into  this  neighborhood  from  camp  last  night.  I 
am  very  glad  of  it,  as  few  are  to  be  got  about  here." 

And  now  this  painful  duty  was  nearly  fulfilled. 
One  letter  from  Providence  Meeting-house  on  the 
20th,  and  he  returns  to  camp. 

"  General  Wayne  wrote  me  last  evening  that  all  his 
troops  had  crossed  over  the  river  Delaware  into  the  Jer- 
seys. He  intends  to  collect  all  the  stock  and  burn  all  the 
hay  along  the  river  that  will  be  within  the  reach  of  the 
enemy.  If  he  executes  the  business  effectually,  the  only 
chance  the  enemy  will  have  for  foraging  will  be  between 
Schuylkill  and  the  Delaware.  I  am  told  there  is  consid- 
erable hay  upon  the  Delaware,  at  a  place  called  Point-no- 
point,  which  may  be  burnt.  The  enemy  have  got  a  great 
part  of  it  away,  but  there  is  still  remaining  a  large  quan- 
tity. It  would  be  well  worth  while  to  attempt  to  destroy 
it,  for  everybody  that  comes  from  the  city  agrees  they 
are  very  short  of  forage. 

"  Colonel  Biddle  wrote  me  last  evening  he  had 
loaded  forty  wagons  yesterday.  We  want  nothing  but 
wagons  to  make  a  grand  forage  ;  there  is  great  plenty  of 
hay  a  little  below  Marcus  Hook.  Captain  Lee  was  at 
Wilmington  yesterday.  He  said  he  was  out  after  cattle. 
Colonel  Spencer  wrote  me  from  Goshen  last  night  there 
was  but  few  cattle  to  be  got  there.  I  have  not  heard 
from  Colonel  Harmer  since  he  set  off  for  the  forks  of  the 

36 


5G2  LIFE   OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENK  [1778. 

Braiulywine,  but  have  heard  of  cattle  going  to  camp  from 
that  quarter,  and  therefore  suppose  they  were  sent  by 
him.  ]\Iany  people  in  this  county  refuse  certificates  for 
tlieir  horses  and  cattle.  The  next  move  I  make  from 
here  I  shall  order  home  all  the  troops  except  one  division  ; 
they  will  be  so  remote  from  the  enemy  that  there  will  be 
little  or  no  danger  from  them,  and  the  country  will  be 
pretty  well  gleaned.  One  division  wdll  be  a  sufficient 
cover  against  any  attempt  from  their  light-horse,  and 
they  will  be  too  remote  for  the  foot  to  attempt  anything 
by  surprise. 

"  I  have  quartered  the  troops  constantly  in  houses,  (so) 
that  they  have  suffered  very  little,  —  only  from  the  heavy 
marches  they  have  gone  through  in  collecting  cattle, 
&c." 

And  thus  ended  Greene's  first  forage. 

"  I  have  just  returned,"  he  writes  to  Knox  on  the  26th 
of  February,  "  from  foraging  in  Chester  and  its  environs. 
My  orders  were  to  collect  all  the  horses  fit  for  cavalry  or 
draft,  the  cattle,  sheep,  and  hogs  fit  for  killing,  together 
with  the  carriages  and  harness  fit  for  Continental  use. 
I  executed  my  orders  with  the  greatest  fidelity.  I  was 
out  ten  or  eleven  days,  which  prevented  my  writing  you 
by  the  last  post. 

"  I  must  beg  your  pardon  for  not  writing  you  before, 
but  I  have  put  it  off  from  time  to  time  to  learn  the  de- 
termination of  the  committee  of  Congress  respecting  the 
establishment  of  the  army.  The  matter  is  now  gone  to 
Congress,  and  I  believe  strongly  recommended  by  the 
committee,  but  I  am  well  persuaded  from  many  circum- 
stances that  it  will  be  rejected. 

"  A  mystical  darkness  has  spread  over  the  councils  of 
America  and  prevents  her  counsellors  from  seeing  her 
true  interest. 


1778.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  663 

"  The  army  has  been  in  great  distress  since  you  left  it ; 
the  troops  are  getting  naked,  and  they  were  seven  days 
without  bread.  Such  patience  and  moderation  as  they 
manifested  under  their  sufferings  does  the  liighest  lienor 
to  the  magnanimity  of  the  American  soldiers.  The 
seventh  day  they  came  before  their  superior  officers  and 
told  their  sufferings  in  as  respectful  terms  as  if  they  had 
been  humble  petitioners  for  special  favors  ;  they  added 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  continue  in  camp  any 
longer  without  support.  Happily,  relief  arrived  from  the 
little  collections  I  had  made  and  some  others,  and  pre- 
vented the  army  from  disbanding.  We  are  still  in  dan- 
ger of  starving  ;  the  commissary's  department  is  in  a 
most  wretched  condition,  the  quartermaster's  in  a  worse. 
Hundreds  and  hundreds  of  our  horses  have  actually 
starved  to  death.  The  committee  of  Congress  have  seen 
all  these  things  with  their  own  eyes." 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

Momentary  Relief  of  the  Army.  —  Greene's  daily  Duties.  —  Social 
Life  in  Camp.  —  Lafayette,  Steuben,  Duponceau,  De  Kalb,  Fleury, 
&c.  —  Appearance  of  the  Encampment.  —  What  Men  talked  about. 
—  Rhode  Island's  Negro  Regiment.  —  Steuben's  Arrival  and  first 
Steps  in  disciplining  the  Army. 

■j^OK  the  moment  the  army  was  reUeved.  "  I 
-*-  have  heard  lately  by  persons  from  the  army," 
writes  William  Greene  of  Warwick,  soon  after  Gov- 
ernor of  Rhode  Island,  "  that  they  are  now  well 
fed,  which  has  afforded  me  much  satisfaction,  as  I 
am  convinced,  and  that  long  since,  that,  under  God, 
our  all  depends  (upon)  making  them  comfortable, 
so  as  to  create  in  them  a  cheerful  inclination  to 
carry  on  our  reasonable  and  very  necessary  de- 
fence." ^  Still,  the  relief  was  but  momentary,  and, 
glad  as  Greene  was  to  escape  from  the  unwelcome 
duty  of  foraging,  his  feelings  were  still  severely 
tried  by  the  sight  of  sufferings  which  he  could 
not  alleviate.  The  daily  round  of  his  duties  even 
was  not  without  annoyance,  for  it  brought  him 
into  daily  contact  with  evils  which  he  had  foreseen 
from  the  beginning,  and  constantly  though  vainly 
striven  to  avert.  But  there  was  work  to  do,  and 
he  was  "  never  so  happy  as  when  "  at  work. 

1  Letter  of  Governor  Greene  to  General  Greene,  March  6,  1778. 


1778.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  565 

Every  fourth  day  he  was  officer  of  the  day,-*^  with 
posts  to  visitj  orders  to  issue  and  superintend,  and 
reports  to  make  and  receive.  Then,  too,  there 
were  councils  of  •  war,  courts-martial,  and,  withal, 
the  special  duties  of  his  own  division.  Even  the 
laborious  De  Kalb  complained  that  he  had  hardly 
a  free  hour.^  Most  of  this,  however,  was  routine 
work,  with  nothing  in  it  to  satisfy  a  mind  that  loved 
thought.  But  for  that  higher  element  of  his 
nature  he  found  abundant  occupation  in  his  re- 
lations with  Washington,  which  required  him  to 
study  all  the  questions  of  administration  and  or- 
ganization from  that  comprehensive  j)oint  of  view 
to  which  he  was  naturally  led  by  his  fondness  for 
political  science  and  its  applications  in  history. 
Of  the  nature  of  this  daily  communication  some 
idea,  as  I  have  already  said,  may  be  formed  from 
his  letters  to  Washington  during  their  occasional 
separations ;  and  it  was  doubtless  in  part  from 
the  opportunity  of  witnessing  these  communica- 
tions, which  his  own  confidential  relations  to  the 
Commander-in-chief  gave  him,  that  Hamilton  was 
led  to  form  that  exalted  estimate  of  Greene's  intel- 
lectual powers  of  which  he  has  left  so  emphatic  an 
expression  in  his  eulogy.^ 

But  even  Valley  Forge  had  its  recreations. 
"  Several  general  officers  are  sending  for  their 
•wives,"  writes  Lafayette  to  his  own, ''  and  I  envy 
them,  not  their  wives,  but  the  hajopiness  of  being 

1  Kapp's  De  Kalb,  p.  128.  3  Hamilton's  Works,  Vol.  II.   p. 

2  Utmp.  482. 


566  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1778. 

^vllere    they  can    see  tliem."^     Mrs.   Greene  bad 
joined  her  husband  early  in  January,  bringing  with 
her  her  summer's  acquisition,  a  stock  of  French, 
that  quickly  made  her  little  parlor  the  favorite 
resort  of  foreign  officers.^     There  was  often  to  be 
seen    Lafayette,  not    yet    turned   of   twenty-one, 
though  a  husband,  a  father,  and  a  major-general ; 
graver  somewhat  in  his  manners  than  strictly  be- 
longed   either  to  his    3'ears  or  his  country ;    and 
loved    and    trusted   by  all,  by   Washington   and 
Greene  especially.      Steuben,  too,  was  often  there, 
wearing  his  republican  uniform,  as,  fifteen  years 
before,  he  had  worn  the  uniform  of  the  despotic 
Frederick ;  as  deeply  skilled  in  the  ceremonial  of 
a  court  as  in  the  manoeuvring  of  an  army ;  with  a 
glittering  star  on  his  left  breast,  that  bore  witness 
to  the  faithful  service  he  had  rendered  in  his  native 
Germany;    and    revolving    in    his  accurate  mind 
designs    which    were   to,   transform    this  mass    of 
physical  strength  which  Americans  had  dignified 
with  the  name  of  army  into  a  real  army  which 
Frederick  himself  might  have  accepted.     He  had 
but  little  English  at  his  command  as  yet,  but  at 
his  side  there  was  a  mercurial  young  Frenchman, 
Peter  Duponceau,  who  knew  how  to  interpret  both 
his   graver   thoughts    and   the   lighter  gallantries 
with  which  the  genial  old  soldier  loved  to  season 
his  intercourse  with  the  wives  and  daus^hters  of  his 
new  fellow-citizens.     As  the    years    passed  away, 

1  Lafayette   Memoirs,   Vol.   I.   p.     raoirs,  MSS.,  communicated  to  me 
1^7.  by  Mr.  Kapp. 

-  Extracts  from  Duponceau's  Me- 


1778.]  LIFE    OF    NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  567 

Duponceau  himself  became  a  celebrated  man,  and 
loved  to  tell  the  story  of  these  checkered  days. 
Another  German,  too,  De  Kalb,  was  sometimes  seen 
there,  taller,  statelier,  graver  than  Steuben,  with 
the  cold,  observant  eye  of  the  diplomatist,  rather 
than  the  quick  glance  of  the  soldier,  though  a  sol- 
dier too,  and  a  brave  and  skilful  one  ;  carino-  verv 
little  about  the  cause  he  had  forsaken  his  noble 
chateau  and  lovely  wife  to  fight  for,  but  a  great 
deal  about  the  promotion  and  decorations  which 
his  good  service  here  was  to  win  him  in  France ; 
for  he  had  made  himself  a  Frenchman,  and  served 
the  King  of  France,  and  bought  him  French  lands 
and  married  a  French  wife.  Alreadv  before  this 
war  began,  he  had  come  hither  in  the  service  of 
France  to  study  the  progress  of  the  growing  dis- 
content ;  and  now  he  was  here  again  an  American 
major-general,  led  partly  b^^  the  ambition  of  rank, 
partly  by  the  thirst  of  distinction,  but  much,  too, 
by  a  certain  restlessness  of  nature,  and  longing 
for  excitement  and  action,  not  to  be  wondered  at 
in  one  who  had  fought  his  way  up  from  a  butlership 
to  a  barony .'^  He  and  Steuben  had  served  on  op- 
posite sides  during  the  Seven  Years'  War,  though 
born  both  of  them  on  the  same  bank  of  the  Rhine  ; 
and  thouo;h  when  Steuben  first  came  De  Kalb 
was  at  Albany,  yet  in  May  they  must  have  met 
more  than  once.  How  did  they  feel  towards  each 
other,  the  soldier  of  Frederick  and  the  soldier  of 
Louis  ?     If  we   had   known   more    about   this,  we 

1  Kapp's  De  Kalb,  p.  2. 


568  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  [1778. 

should  have  known  better,  perhaps,  why  Lafayette, 
a  fast  friend  of  De  Kalb,  speaks  of  "  the  methodic 
mediocrity"^  of  Steuben,  and  Steuben  of  the 
"vanity  and  presumption"  of  the  young  major- 
general. 

In  the  same  circle,  too,  was  the  young  Fleury 
wdiom  we  have  seen  bearing  himself  so  gallantly  at 
Fort  JMifflin,  and  who,  a  year  after,  was  to  render 
still  more  brilliant  service  at  Stony  Point ;  and  the 
Marquis  de  la  Eouerie,  concealing  his  rank  under 
the  name  of  Armand,  and  combating  an  unsuccess- 
ful love  by  throwing  himself  headlong  into  the 
tumult  of  war ;  ^  and  Mauduit  Duplessis,  w^hose  skill 
as  an  engineer  had  been  proved  at  Red  Bank,  and 
who  about  this  time  was  brevetted  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  at  Washington's  recommendation,  for  "  gal- 
lant conduct  at  Brandywine  and  Germantown,"  and 
"  distinguished  services  at  Fort  Mercer,"  and  "  a 
degree  of  modesty  not  always  found  in  men  who 
have  performed  brilliant  actions,"  ^  but  whom 
neither  modesty  nor  gallantry  could  save  fi^om  a 
fearful  death  at  San  Domingo ;  and  Gimat,  aid 
to  Lafayette  now,  but  who  afterwards  led  La- 
fayette's van  as  colonel  in  the  successful  assault 
of  the  British  redoubts  at  Yorktown ;  and  La 
Colomlic,  who  was  to  serve  Lafoyette  faithfully 
in  France  as  he  served  him  here;  and  Ternant, 
distinguished  in  America,  France,  and  Holland, 
but  who  this  year  rendered  invaluable  service  to 

1  Lafayette  Memoirs,  Vol.  I.  p.  49.     214,  and  Journals  of  Congress,  Janu- 
"^  Ibi.l.,  74.  ary  19,  1778. 

•  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  V.  p. 


1778.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  569 

American  discipline  by  his  aid  in  carrying  out 
the  reforms  of  Steuben.  Kosciusko  was  in  the 
North,  but  Poland  had  still  another  representa- 
tive, the  gallant  Pulaski,  who  had  done  good 
service  during  the  last  campaign,  and  who  the 
very  next  year  was  to  lay  down  his  life  for  us 
at  the  siege  of  Savannah. 

Washington,  too,  and  his  wife  were  often  seen  in 
this  evening  circle,  —  not  the  grave,  cold  Washing- 
ton of  some  books,  but  a  human  being,  who  knew 
how  to  laugh  heartily  and  smile  genially ;  and  the 
courtly  Morris  and  the  brilliant  Reed  were  there, 
and  Charles  Carrol,  who  was  to  outlive  them  nearly 
all ;  and  Knox,  whom  Greene  loved  as  a  brother, 
and  Hamilton  and  Laurens,  as  often  as  their  duty 
would  j)ermit ;  and  Wayne  and  Varnum  and  Sul- 
livan, and  many  others  of  whom  history  tells,  with 
some  of  whom  she  has  kept  no  record  ;  all  equally 
glad  to  escape,  for  a  while,  from  stern  duties  and 
grave  cares  to  a  cheerful  fireside  and  genial  con- 
versation. There  was  no  room  for  dancing  in  these 
narrow  quarters,  but  next  winter  at  Morristown 
we  shall  find  a  good  deal  of  it,  and  see  Washing- 
ton dancing  four  hours  with  Mrs.  Greene  without 
once  sitting  down.^  There  were  no  cards  either. 
All  games  of  chance  had  been  prohibited  early  in 
the  war,^  and  American  officers,  even  if  they  had 
had  the  means  and  inclination,  had  no  opportunity, 
to  ruin  themselves  as  the  officers  of  Howe's  army 
were  ruining  themselves  at  Philadelphia  this  very 

1  Greene  Papers. 

2  Sparks's  Washington,  Vol.  III.  p.  296,  Vol.  IV.  p.  436. 


570  LIFE   OF    NATIIANAEL   GREENE.  [1778. 

winter.  But  there  was  tea  or  coffee,  and  pleasant 
conversation  alwaj^s,  and  music  often,  no  one  who 
had  a  uood  voice  bems;  allowed  to  refuse  a  sono;. 
Few  could  give  more  mterest  to  a  story  or  life  to 
an  anecdote  than  Mrs.  Greene,  and  no  one  in  those 
evening  circles  could  excel  her  in  adapting  her 
subject  and  manner  to  the  taste  and  manner  of  the 
immediate  listener.^  And  thus  ag-ain  somewhat  of 
the  gentleness  of  domestic  life  was  shed  over  these 
stern  scenes  of  war,  and  somewhat  of  its  cheerful- 
ness brought  into  these  narrow  dwellings ;  of 
themselves  "  no  gayer,"  writes  Lafayette,  "  than  a 
duno;eon."^ 

Out  of  doors  all  was  more  like  a  dungeon  still ; 
for  the  bleak  hills  shut  them  in  on  one  side,  the 
frozen  river  on  the  other.  Out  of  the  cold  white 
snow  rose  the  leafless  forest  dark  and  spectral ;  and 
tlie  wind  swept  in  fierce  gusts  down  the  valley,  or 
sighed  and  moaned  around  the  thatched  roofs  of 
the  huts.  From  the  huts  themselves  came  few 
signs  of  life,  but  the  smoke  that  swayed  to  and  fro 
over  the  chimneys  at  the  will  of  the  blast,  and  the 
shivering  sentinels  at  the  officers'  doors,  and  now 
and  then,  as  you  passed  along,  a  half-naked  soldier 
peering  from  a  door,  and  muttering,  in  an  ominous 

1  I  am  fompc-Ilcd  to  rely  somewhat  —  Mrs.  Ellet's  Women  of  the  Rcvo- 

upon  family  tradition  for  this  sketch  lution,  Vol.  I.  p.  72. 

of  my  grandmother ;  hut  the  tradition  -  Lafayette's    letter    to    his   wife, 

is  uniform.     The  anecdote  in  Mrs.  Memoirs,  Vol.  I.  p.  143:    "L'armee 

Ellet's  Women  of  the  Uevolution,  of  Amerlcaine  passera  I'hiver  sous   dc 

the  "yountj  lady  wiio  was  resolved  pctitcs   baraques   qui  ne  sont  guere 

not  to  like  her,"  ha.s  recently  been  plus  gaies  qu'un  caehot." 
confirmed  to  me  by  the  lady  herself. 


1778.]  LIFE    OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  571 

undertone,  "  No  bread,  no  soldier."  ^  If  you  ven- 
tured within,  hungry  nakedness  met  you  on  the 
threshold,  or  a  foul  and  diseased  air  repelled  you 
from  it.  In  the  streets  you  would  meet  parties  of 
soldiers  yoked  together  to  little  carriages  of  their 
own  contriving,  and  dragging  their  wood  and  pro- 
visions from  the  storehouse  to  their  huts.^  There 
were  regular  parades,  too,  at  guard  mounting  ;  and 
sometimes  grand  parades,  in  which  you  would  see 
men  half  naked  holding  their  rusty  firelocks  with 
hands  stiffened  with  cold,  and  officers  shielding 
themselves  from  the  cold  in  a  kind  of  dressing- 
gown  made  out  of  an  old  blanket  or  faded  bed- 
quilt.^ 

There  were  many  things  to  talk  about  in  this 
dreary  camp.  There  were  rumors  again  of  a 
French  w^ar.  Burgoyne's  defeat,  perhaps,  might 
turn  the  trembling  scale  of  European  diplomacy, 
and  then  how  easy  it  would  be  to  put  an  end  to 
the  war  with  England.  There  was  that  never- 
failing  subject  of  discussion,  the  currency  also, — 
long  since  rapidly  depreciating,  and  now  hanging 
apparently  upon  the  brink  of  bankruptcy.  The 
Congress  have  at  last  agreed  upon  Articles  of  Con- 
federation ;  will  the  States  adopt  them,  and  submit 
to  a  uniform  system  of  taxation  as  the  only  sure 
basis  of  national  credit  ?  The  Confess  committee 
was  in  camp,  seeing  with  their  own  eyes  what  the 
army  suffered ;  would  they  have  the  courage  to  fol- 

1  Duponceau's   Eeminiscences,   ut     to  President  of  Congress,  February 
sup.  12,1778.     Reed,  Vol.  I.  p.  362. 

2  Letter  of  Committee  of  Congress        *  Kapp's  Steuben,  p.  118. 


572  LIFE   OF   NATHAN AEL    GREENE.  [1778. 

low  up  the  evil  to  its  source  and  heal  it  ?  Con- 
gress was  discussing  the  question  of  half-pay  ;  did 
they,  did  the  country  even,  see  it  in  its  true  light  ? 

"  I  observe,"  writes  Greene  to  one  of  his  brothers, 
"  you  think  the  spirit  of  patriotism  is  ready  to  expire  in 
the  army  among  the  officers  from  their  demand  to  be  put 
upon  half-pay.  Can  you  think  the  obligation  rests  upon 
those  t'liat  first  engaged,  to  go  through  the  dispute  with- 
out any  further  provision  than  a  bare  subsistence  for  the 
time  being  ? 

"  If  the  dispute  was  just  and  necessary,  then  the  obli- 
gation rests  upon  all  equally  ;  but  if  not,  then  there  is  no 
obligation  to  support  it.  These  being  the  simple  and 
natural  principles  upon  which  the  question  stands,  take 
into  consideration  the  situation  of  the  officers,  and  how 
far  their  demands  is  founded  in  justice.  The  officers  of 
the  army,  at  the  beginning  of  the  dispute,  flew  to  arms, 
regardless  of  their  families  or  their  fortunes,  expecting  at 
the  same  time  that  peace  and  reconciliation  would  soon 
take  place.  Few  expected  the  dispute  would  be  carried 
to  such  extremity;  but  the  contest  has  been  growing 
warmer  and  warmer  from  first  to  last,  (so)  that  there 
never  has  been  the  most  distant  opportunity  to  bring 
about  a  reconciliation.  If  it  is  necessary  to  maintain  our 
camp,  if  our  present  safety  and  future  happiness  depend 
upon  its  support,  it  is  the  duty  and  interest  of  every 
individual  to  lend  his  aid  ;  then  it  becomes  a  common 
obligation  upon  all.  Why,  therefore,  should  a  few  zeal- 
ous officers  be  made  a  certain  sacrifice  for  the  common 
good.  Those  that  arc  in  the  army  are  wasting  their  for- 
tunes, impairing  their  constitutions,  depriving  themselves 
of  every  domestic  pleasure  ;  and  if  they  continue  a  few 
years  longer  in  their  present  situation,  what  is  to  become 


1778.]  LIFE   OF   NATHANAEL    GREENE.  573 

of  them  after  the  war  ?  Out  of  business,  ouj;  of  credit, 
without  connection  in  the  way  of  trade,  —  military  dis- 
tinction or  character  to  maintain,  numerous  acquaint- 
ances contracted,  without  the  means  to  be  civil  to  them 
hereafter,  must  render  the  condition  of  the  officers  in- 
finitely more  wretched  than  other  parts  of  society.  Is  it 
reasonable,  that  men  should  be  exposed  to  all  the  hard- 
ships of  war,  be  constantly  exposed  to  sudden  death  and 
broken  bones,  without  any  compensation  ?  Is  this  making 
the  business  of  society  equal  ?  There  never  was  a  nation 
under  the.  sun,  where  a  set  of  officers  were  left  without 
support  after  a  long  and  cruel  war,  unless  it  was  when  all 
the  inhabitants  did  equal  duty  in  the  civil  and  military 
departments.  But,  waiving  the  justice  of  their  claim, 
good  policy  demands  the  measure,  for  the  continent  can- 
not support  the  war  upon  the  present  system." 

This  year,  too,  there  was  a  new  army  to  raise. 
Rhode  Island  had  undertaken,  at  the  suggestion  of 
General  Varnum,  to  enlist  a  negro  battalion. 

"  The  Rhode  Island  troops,"  Greene  writes  to  his 
brother,  "  have  done  themselves  great  honor  ;  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  officers  is  in  high  estimation.  The  soldiers  of 
the  two  regiments  are  put  into  one ;  and  Colonel  Greene 
and  all  his  officers  are  coming  home  to  recruit  a  negro 
regiment.     Will  they  succeed  or  not  ?  " 

They  did  succeed ;  and  among  my  earliest  recol- 
lections of  the  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  is  old 
Ichabod,^  who  lived  to  enjoy  in  the  midst  of  ^  two 
new  generations,  the  honor  he  had  won  by  the 
side  of  their  fathers.  We  may  readily  suppose 
that  there  was  no  little  speculation  and  conjecture 
in  camp  about  these   new  soldiers. 

1  See  Bartlett's  Ehode  Island  Colonial  Records,  Vol.  VIII.  pp.  524,  641' 
358,  359. 


574  LIFE   OF   NATIIANAEL    GREENE.  [1778. 

But  wj^atever  the  numerical  strength  of  the 
army  might  be,  they  were  to  have  at  least  the 
strength  of  discipline.  On  the  23d  of  February 
Baron  Steuben  reached  Valley  Forge.  It  was  an 
exciting  day  in  the  American  camp.  When  his 
approach  was  known,  Washington  rode  out  several 
miles  to  meet  him ;  and  on  reaching  the  quarters 
that  had  been  assigned  him,  he  found  an  officer 
with  twenty-five  men  stationed  at  the  door  as  a 
guard  of  honor.  "  I  am  only  a  volunteer,"  said  Steu- 
ben, and  sought  to  decline  the  compliment.  "  Our 
whole  army,"  answered  Washington,  "would  be 
gratified  to  stand  sentinel  for  such  volunteers."  ^  I 
have  already  given  a  glimpse  of  the  old  soldier  in 
Mrs.  Greene's  evening  circle ;  but  that  which  chiefly 
made  him  welcome  there,  was  the  good  sense  and 
good  spirit  with  which  he  used  his  profound  science 
as  a  tactician.  "  Give  me  a  plan  of  inspection,"  said 
Washington ;  and  Frederick's  old  soldier,  putting 
off  the  pride  of  professional  knowledge,  set  him- 
self down  to  study  the  materials  he  was  to  work 
with,  and  adapt  his  plan  to  his  means.  "  I  was 
often  obliged,"  says  he,  "  to  abandon  ideas  I  had 
formed.  I  was  in  want  of  information  and  advice, 
and  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  a  few  officers 
of  merit,  who  gave  me  every  satisfaction.  They 
were  General  Greene,  Colonel  Laurens,  and  Colo- 
nel Hamilton."^  Betwixt  him  and  Greene  it  was 
the  beginning  of  a  friendship  which  was  to  hold 
firm  till  death.     In  a  few  days  the  plan  was  com- 

1  Kapp,  p.  105.  2  ibid.^  124. 


1778.]  LIFE   OF   NATKIXAEL    GREENE.  575 

pleted  and  approved.  Then  began  the  application 
of  it,  and  it  is  easy  to  conceive  the  deep  interest 
with  which  the  whole  army  watched  its  progress. 
His  first  step  was  to  draft  from  the  line  a  hundred 
and  twenty  men  as  a  guard  for  the  Commander-in- 
chief  and  a  school  for  himself  And  now  if  we 
call  to  mind  the  English  prejudice,  which  threw  the 
drilling  of  recruits  upon  sergeants  as  a  drudgery 
below  the  dignity  of  a  commissioned  officer,  and 
remember  that  it  had  been  strictly  imitated  by  the 
Americans,  we  shall  easily  conceive  the  surprise 
of  the  American  officers  when  they  saw  a  major- 
general  take  a  musket  in  his  own  hands  and  teach 
his  men  how  to  manage  it.  It  is  easy,  too,  to  con- 
ceive the  pride  with  which  the  men  themselves 
went  through  their  lesson,  repeating  it  doubtless  to 
their  less  fortunate  comrades,  day  by  day  as  they 
learned  it.  "  In  a  fortnight,"  says  Steuben,  "  my 
company  knew  perfectly  how  to  bear  arms,  had  a 
military  air,  knew  how  to  march,  to  form  in  col- 
umn, deploy,  and  execute  some  little  manoeuvres 
with  excellent  precision."  ^  Greene  had  seen  the 
British  troops  manoeuvre  on  Boston  Common,  and 
the  reo-iments  under  his  immediate  command  had 
been  the  best  disciplined  regiments  in  the  army. 
But  here  was  a  work  begun  which  was  to  make 
the  whole  army  perfect  in  the  most  intricate 
details  of  the  Prussian  system,  —  the  most  perfect 
of  all.  More  than  one  watchful  hour  must  he  have 
passed  at  Steuben's  side  during  these  first  days  of 

1  Kapp's  Steuben,  p.  126. 


576  LIFE   OF   NATIL\NAEL    GREENE.  [1778. 

the  experiment.  How  successfully  the  work  was 
done  Monmouth  will  show  us  next  June.  Mean- 
while it  was  a  pleasant  and  useful  thing  to  talk 
about  in  the  leisure  hours  of  camp. 


/; 


APPENDIX 


37 


APPENDIX  I 


GENEALOGY    OF    THE    GREENE    FAMILY, 

FOUND  AMONG  THE  PAPERS  OF  GENERAL  GREENE. 

John  Greene,  from  Salisbury,  in  England,  brought  over 
five  children,  —  John,^  Peter,^  James,^  Thomas,^  and  Mary  ^ ; 
and  also  brought  over  his  wife  :   both  buried  at  Conemicut  farm. 

John  Greene  settled  at  Providence,  and  was  an  original  pro- 
prietor. He  came  in  the  next  company  after  Roger  Williams. 
After  some  time  he  moved  to  Warwick,  at  a  place  called  Conem- 
icut. Having  lost  his  first  wife,  he  returned  to  England  and 
married  a  second  time.  He  was  an  original  proprietor  in  War- 
wick, so  called  since. 

2d.  His  first  son,  John,^  Deputy  Governor,  married  an  Almy, 
by  whom  he  had  four  sons,  —  Peter,^  Job,^  Samuel,^  and  Rich- 
ard^: and  four  daughtei's,  who  married  Pory,  John  Spencer, 
Charles  Holden,  and  Thomas  Greene.  Peter,^  the  second  son, 
married  and  was  soon  after  drowned,  leaving  no  children. 

James,^  the  third  son,  married  Deliverance  Pottei",  by  whom 
he  had  James,^  and  two  daughters,  Sarah  ^  and  Mary^;  both 
married  Reynolds.  His  second  wife  was  an  Anthony,  from 
Rhode  Island,  by  whom  he  had  Peter,^  Jabez,^  David,^  Jobn,^ 
and  Elizabeth^;  one  married  a  Hull,  name  unknown. 

Thomas,^  his  fourth  son,  married  a  Barton,  by  whom  he  had 
Thomas,^  Benjamin,^  Richard,^  and  Nathaniel.^ 

Mary-  married  a  Sweet,  who  was  the  father  of  all  the  hone- 
setting  Sweets. 

John,^  his  son  Peter,^  married  an  Arnold,  at  Pawtuxet,  by 
whom  he  had  Peter,*  John,*  William,*  Stephen,*  Elisha,*  and 
Barlow  * ;  also  one  daughter,  who  married  Stephen  Arnold  at 
Warwick. 


580  APPENDIX. 

Job,^  second  son  to  John,-  married  a  Sayles,  by  whom  he  had 
Job,^  Christopher,*  Daniel,*  Philip,*  Amy,*  Mary,*  Phoebe,*  Catha- 
rine,* and  Deborah.* 

Samuel,'  third  son  of  John,^  married  a  Gorton,  by  whom  he 
had  Mary,*  who  married  Thomas  Fry ;  William,*  the  Governor ; 
Samuel,*  and  Benjamin.* 

Richard,^  fourth  son  of  John,-  married  a  Sayles,  by  tv'hom  he 
had  one  son,  named  John,  who  married  an  Almy ;  also  five 
daughters.  —  Andrey,*  Almy,*  Isbael,*  Eleanor,*  and  Mary.* 

James,*  son  of  James,^  married  Mary  Fones,  by  whom  he  had 
ten  children,  —  Fones,*  James,*  Daniel,*  Elisha,*  John,*  Jere- 
miah,* and  Samuel  * ;  Marcy,  Deliverance,  and  Mary,  one  of 
whom  married  John  Holden,  the  other  Resolved  Rhodes. 

Peter,®  sou  of  James,-  married  a  Slocum,  who  was  afterwards 
drowned  at  Pawtuxet  Falls  ;  left  several  children. 

Jabez,'  son  of  James,^  married  a  Barton,  by  whom  he  had  one 
daughter,  named  Susannah,  married  to  a  Chadsey ;  and  six 
sons,  —  James,*  Jabez,*  Nathaniel,*  Benjamin,*  Rufus,*  and 
John  * ;  Jabez  married  for  his  second  wife  Hannah  Whitman, 
by  whom  he  had  one  daughter. 

David,'^  son  of  James,-  married  a  Slocum,  by  whom  he  had 
one  son,  —  David.*  David  *  married  a  Barber  for  his  second 
wife,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons,  —  Jonathan  and  Joseph ;  and 
several  daughters. 

John,*  son  of  James,'^  married  an  Allen,  of  Dartmouth,  by 
whom  he  had  David,*  James,*  Increase,*  and  Job  * ;  and  several 
daughters. 

Thomas,*  son  of  Thomas,"  married  Anna  Greene,  daughter  of 
Deputy  John  Greene,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  named  John, 
who  lived  at  Potowomut ;  and  also  several  daughters. 

Benjamin,*  son  of  Thomas,^  married  Susannah  Holden,  by 
whom  he  had  one  son,  Benjamin,*  who  married  an  Arnold,  leav- 
ing one  daughter  named  Phoebe^;  Susannah,  who  married  Philip 
Arnold ;  Catharine,  William  Greene,  afterwards  Governor ; 
Elizabeth,  Jolin  Fry  ;  ^Margaret,  Pardon  Tillinghast. 

Richard,*  son  of  Thomas,'-^  married  a  Carder,  by  whom  he  had 
Richard,*  who  lived  in  Warwick;  Thomas,  in  Bristol;  and  three 
daughters,  —  Mary,*  married  Elisha  Greene ;  Elizabeth,*  an 
Allen,  of  Rhode  Island ;  and  Welthan,*  Jeremiah  Lippitt. 


APPENDIX.  581 

Nathaniel,'  son  of  Thomas,  married  a  Gould,  of  Boston  ;  lived 
and  died  there,  leaving  Thomas,*  Nathaniel,*  Rufus,*  Benjamin,* 
and  William.* 

Nathaniel*  Greene,  son  of  Jabez,^  married  Phoebe  Greene, 
and  had  issue,  —  Benjamin,^  who  was  born  seventh  day  of  the 
fifth  month,  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  on  the  first  day 
of  the  week,  1734;  Thomas,^  was  born  the  eleventh  day  of 
the  ninth  month,  about  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  1735.  My 
wife  Phcebe  ^  died  the  eleventh  day  of  third  month,  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  1737.  I  was  married  to  Mary  IMott  the 
eighteenth  day  of  second  month,  1739.  Our  son  Jacob  ^  was 
born  the  seventh  day  of  the  first  month,  1740,  about  one  or  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  on  the  sixth  day  of  the  week.  Our 
daughter  Phoebe  ^  was  born  the  twentieth  day  of  the  first  month, 

1741,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Our  daughter  Phoebe 
died  [blank  in  original~\  day  of  eighth  month,  1741.  Our  son 
Nathanael  ^  was  born  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  fifth  month, 

1742,  about  one  or  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day 
of  the  week.  Our  son  William  ^  was  born  the  first  day  of  the 
ninth  month,  1743,  between  four  and  five  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
on  the  third  day  of  the  week.  Our  son  Elihue  ^  was  born  the 
tenth  day  of  the  tenth  month,  1746,  between  one  and  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day  of  the  week.  Our  son  Chris- 
topher^ was  born  the  third  day  of  fifth  month,  1748,  about  one 
or  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  on  the  first  day  of  the  week. 
Our  son  Perry  ^  was  born  the  fifth  day  of  the  ninth  month, 
1749,  about  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week.  My  wife  Mary  died  the  seventh  day  of  third  month, 
1753,  new  style,  about  seven  or  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  on 
the  fourth  day  of  the  week. 

This  is  the  last  entry  in  this  table.  The  Genealogy  of  the 
family  has  been  written  in  full  by  General  George  Sears  Greene, 
to  whose  work  I  refer  in  advance  all  those  who  are  interested  in 
these  details.  I  give  here  the  only  addition  that  my  own  subject 
requires. 

Nathanael,^  son  of  Nathanael,*  married  Catharine  Littlefield, 
and  had  issue,  —  George  Washington,  Martha  Washington,  Cor- 
nelia Lott,  Nathanael  Ray,  Louisa  Catharine,  and  a  daughter 
who  died  a  few  days  after  her  birth. 


582 


APPENDIX. 


George  W.  was  drowned  in  Savannah  River.  He  was  never 
married.  Martha  W.  and  Cornelia  L.  were  twice  married,  and 
left  families.  Louisa  "C.  was  married,  but  had  no  children.  Na- 
tlianael  Ray  married  Anna  Maria  Clarke  and  had  issue,  —  Na- 
thanael  and  George  Wtiahington. 

In  the  Potowomut  branch  the  order  of  descent  from  the  oriir- 
inal  emigrant  is,  —  1.  John,  the  founder.  2.  James.  3.  Jabez. 
4.  Nathanael,  the  Quaker  preacher.     5.  Nathanael,  the  General. 

GENEALOGY    OF    THE    COWENT    (wARWICK)    BRANCH    OF    THE 
GREENE    FAMILY    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

1.  John  Greene,  sen.,^  the  founder  of  the  family  in  New 
England. 

2.  John  Greene,  jun.,  born  in  1619  or  1620.  Deputy  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Colony  from  1690  to  1700.     Died  27th  Nov.,  1708: 

3.  sSamuel,  son  of  John,  jun.,^  born  1670,  died  1720. 

4.  William,  son  of  Samuel,  born  16th  May,  1696.  Lieut.- 
Governor  and  Governor  of  the  Colony  for  thirteen  of  the  seven- 
teen years  between  1741  and  1758,  in  which  latter  year  he  died 
in  office. 

5.  William,  son  of  William,  born  Aug.  16,  1731.  Chief 
Justice  of  the  State  of  R.  I.  in  1777,  and  Governor  from  1778 
to  1785.     Died  Nov.  29,  1809. 

6.  Ray  Greene,  son  of  the  second  William,  born  Feb.  2,  1765, 
Attorney-General  and  District  Attorney  for  several  years  till 
1797,  when  he  was  elected  Senator  in  Congress,  which  office  he 
resigned  in  1801.     Died  11th  Jan.,  1849. 

7.  William,  son  of  Ray,  at  present  (1867)  Lieut.-Governor 
of  Rhode  Island. 


APPENDIX    II. 

See  page  344. 

The  following  letter  is  still  more  important  as  an  illustration 
of  the  relations  of  Greene  to  Washington.  I  am  indebted  for  a 
copy  of  it  to  Mr.  M.  H.  Welles,  of  Big  Flats,  N.  Y. 

Letter  of  General  Washington  to  James  Wilson,  Esq., 
IN  Congress,  Philadelphia. 

Head  Qoarteks,  Morris  Town,  15th  March,  1777. 
Dear  Sir, 


') 


Give  me  leave  to  introduce  to  your  attention  Major-General 
Greene,  who  obliges  me  by  delivering  this.  He  is  a  gentleman 
in  whose  abilities  I  place  the  most  entire  confidence.     A  long 

acquaintance  with  him  justifies  me  in  this The  danger 

of  communicating  by  letter,  our  present  situation,  and  the  indis- 
pensable necessity  of  Congress  knowing  it,  have  compelled  me, 
though  I  can  ill  spare  so  useful  an  officer  at  this  time,  to  send 

him   to    Philadelphia His    perfect   knowledge   of  our 

strength  and  of  my  opinion  enables  him  to  give  Congress  the 
most  satisfactory  accounts  they  can  desire. 
I  am,  dear  Sir, 

Your  most  humble  servant, 

GEO.  WASHINGTON. 


end  of  vol.  I. 


Cambridge  :  Printed  by  Welch,  Bigelow,  &  Co. 


Maxhs  h^  tljt  Bmm  %xit\jax. 


< » ■  ■  > 


HISTORICAL  STUDIES,  i  vol.  i2mo.  G.  P.  Put- 
nam.    1850, 

BIOGRAPHICAL  STUDIES,  i  vol.  i2mo.  G.  P.  Put- 
nam.    i860. 

HISTORICAL  VIEW  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REVO- 
LUTION.       I    vol.       I2mO.       TiCKNOR     AND    FlELDS. 

1864. 

NATHANAEL  GREENE  :  An  Examination  of  Some 
Passages  in  Mr.  Bancroft's  History  of  the  United 
States.     8vo.     Ticknor  and  Fields.     1866. 


f\  :''''-^ ' 


/  \  ■ 


^';.-"'"^?-Slr' 


1.V  ■'■' 


;  ■  'iiMn'.  • 


•  ■■•r?^:.--. 


,1)WVERSITY  OF  TOROMOl 
LIBRAM 


Do   not 

r-emove  jl 

I 

I 

the  card  1 
from  this 
Pocket. 


Acme   Library   Card   Pocket 

Uuder  Pat."  Ref.  Index  File." 

Made  by  LIBRABY  BURHAU 


:,r. 


■'.■<.' 


■  .    I. 


.V'--- 


'■       -  •'■•  'J. 


(■ 


I        T